


The life unexpected

by RSkarFR



Category: Lost Girl
Genre: F/F, Valkubus - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-08-22
Updated: 2018-04-06
Packaged: 2018-04-16 14:48:30
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 28,948
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4629252
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RSkarFR/pseuds/RSkarFR
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Your life can follow an unexpected path, and you cannot control it. This story is a Valkubus story, beginning right after 5x07. Enjoy !</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> So this is my first fanfic ever and I hope you'll enjoy it. Before beginning I really want to thank radar7189 and Till the fat lady sings who are both extremely talented writers. They motivated me to write this and publish it, corrected my mistakes and all. Thank you, you are both awesome :)
> 
> Anyway, Lost Girl is not mine, same for the characters.
> 
> Enjoy!

 

Bo heard the door slamming hard against the wooden frame. Looking at the empty space around her, her mind barely registering what had just happened. Tamsin had admitted her love for her and she didn't reciprocate it. Now, the Valkyrie was gone and she couldn't help but think about how Tamsin looked broken. How she broke her. She had never seen her like this, so vulnerable, so sad, so heartbroken. It was as if with every word coming out of her mouth she was ripping out yet another piece of the Valkyrie's heart.

_'Damn it, Tamsin… I just... I wasn't ready to hear that... Oh God, what have I done?'_ Bo thought as tears started welling up in her eyes.

She finally decided to move so she could grab her phone, wiping her tears in the process. But once she held the phone in her shaking hands, she wasn't sure what to do. Calling Tamsin would obviously be in vain since the Valkyrie had made it abundantly clear that she didn't want to be followed. Calling Dyson so they could go look for the Valkyrie was also out of the question.

After a few minutes, the Succubus dialed the number of the only person she knew she would find some comfort in. Kenzi. Right now she needed her best friend, her soul sister, more than anything.

Waiting for Kenzi to pick up, Bo tried to calm herself by taking deep breaths and slowing her heart beats. However, that did little to relieve her of her fears, she felt terrible and was worried sick about Tamsin. After all, there was no one more apt at self-destructing than Tamsin, and Bo knew this very well.

"Come on, Kenzi, pick up…" Bo murmured to herself. Soon enough, she was relieved to hear the voice she'd been craving to hear on the other end of the line.

"Yo Bobolicious! What's up?" Kenzi said, in her usual cheerful voice... However, the seconds were passing and Kenzi could hear nothing else but a deep, agonizing silence.

"Bo?" Still nothing. "Bo? What's wrong?" The human was starting to worry for her best friend she had left not long ago, after her return from Valhalla.

"I screwed up, Kenzi..." Bo replied eventually, her voice cracking a little more with every word.

"Come on, talk to me, what happened?"

"It's Tamsin."

"Wh… Tamsin? What about her? Is she hurt?" Kenzi asked, feeling panic taking over at the thought that something had happened to the Valkyrie. Indeed, after Tamsin's rebirth, the human had become very close to the Fae. She had seen her grow, thus discovering a different side to her: the vulnerable one. Kenzi even came to consider herself as an equal to Tamsin, some sort of maternal figure or a protector, even if she was just human and the Valkyrie one of the most powerful Fae she knew.

"No no… Well… Yes but... emotionally speaking," Bo replied, not sure how to explain the actual situation. "It's all my fault, Kenzi, she told me she loved me and I just… I wasn't prepared to hear that, you know? Everything is so complicated in my life right now, and my relationships, as well. Lauren and I... I don't even know what we are now. But Tamsin… She surprised me and I broke her heart... so badly... Damn it, please forgive me, Kenz, I… I didn't know she felt this way for me ..." Bo sobbed, letting herself slide against the wooden wall until she landed on the hard floor, her knees pulled up to her chest, one hand covering her face while still clutching the phone tightly in the other one.

"Oh God, Bo... I had my suspicions that she has strong feelings for you... I should have spoken to you about it... But the real question is… Do you love her, Bo?" Kenzi asked, feeling dismal for her Tammy but also for Bo, knowing that the Succubus was remorseful.

"I don't know, Kenz," Bo answered, slightly shaking her head. "I guess so… yes, I mean... I care a lot about her and we were getting pretty close but… I just don't know…" She cried, unable to hold her tears back anymore.

"Calm down, Bobo, just breathe, okay? Everything is gonna be okay," Kenzi said calmly, trying to be as convincing as she could be, knowing that her friend was in dire need of comfort. After a minute, hearing that Bo's sobs were finally quieting down, she continued: "Where is Tamsin now?" she asked, trying to hide the concern still present in her voice.

"She left after... we talked, I tried to keep her here but she doesn't want to be followed. I'm worried Kenzi, you know better than anyone how she can be when she gets all emotional," Bo said, becoming more anxious at the thought that the blonde could be lying hurt somewhere, all alone.

"I'll try to contact her, okay? Just stay calm and try to relax a little, Tamsin is a big girl, and she's tough, she can take care of herself, alright?" Kenzi responded, reassuring Bo a little. "Besides, you told me yourself, she doesn't want to be found right now, so there's nothing more you can do Bobo! I'm sure she'll be back in no time," the human replied, hoping she was right and that her Tammy just needed some time alone to clear her mind.

"Yeah… you're right. Just… keep me posted, okay? Tell me when you have any news… Please?" Bo asked knowing that the only person Tamsin would possibly talk to would be Kenzi.

"Sure, Succulicious," the human answered, a slight smile on her lips.

"Thanks Kenz..." Bo ended the conversation still worried but relieved in some way that her best friend at least didn't seem to be mad at her for breaking Tamsin's heart.

_'I just have to wait. It shouldn't be too hard,'_ Bo thought as she walking around in circles. "Oh fuck I need a drink." And with these words she ran upstairs to get ready before heading for the Dal. She desperately needed something to keep her mind busy, and she knew she couldn't stand to be alone just then.

 

* * *

 

 

      Busting out of the crack shack, Tamsin was feeling upset, sad. Broken. Her whole world had just been torn into pieces in a matter of seconds, with only a few words.

As a Valkyrie, Tamsin was not used to dealing with emotions. She had been taught to shut her feelings down because if you let your emotions control you on the battlefield, you were vulnerable and if you were vulnerable, you were dead. Feelings are weaknesses and a warrior isn't weak, it's as simple as that.

But since her rebirth and largely due to the fact that she had been raised by a human, especially when this human turned out to be Kenzi, she had learned to break down her walls and open up to others more because 'having feelings and expressing them doesn't mean that you're weak but just that you care, and that's a good thing, Tammy', Kenzi had told her one day.

This life, her last one was so much different from the many others she had had before. This time, she had friends who were like family to her… A family. She had never had one before.

Until a few minutes earlier, opening up to others had brought her a lot: friends, family, happiness, everything... She never thought that it could also bring her the complete opposite.

She had always felt something for Bo, something that continued to grow unrestrained. She didn't know why though but with time she discovered that that 'something' she felt deeply inside of her was nothing else but Love, pure Love.

In her previous life she would have denied this feeling but since her rebirth and especially since becoming Bo's roommate after Kenzi left for Spain, she had grown sick of hiding her love for the Succubus. So she let her feelings out, exposed to the whole world to see.

And it worked, well at least that's what she thought because Bo had never rejected her. She hadn't rejected her when she literally offered herself as Bo's birthday present. Neither when she kissed her, on multiple occasions, or when she had called Bo 'my girl' or 'girlfriend'. So of course she thought the Succubus loved her back, even if they never had a 'heart-to-heart' about it. It was simply obvious to Tamsin: She loved Bo and Bo loved her as well; they were deeply in love with each other.

Yet, when the brunette rejected her, and disparaged her love, she felt betrayed, stupid and hurt. Goddamn, did it hurt... She'd never felt anything like that before. She would definitely have preferred to be stabbed directly through the heart than to have to put up with this. And although the Valkyrie was used to the physical pain, in that moment she felt as if every fiber of her body was screaming, tearing apart. It was practically unbearable.

She needed to escape this, all of this. She started running, as fast as her legs could carry her... She had absolutely no idea where she was going though, and she didn't care, she was just hoping that the farther she would get, the better she would feel. Her body hurt like hell, screaming for her to stop and yet, she didn't listen.

After running through the rain until she lost track of time, Tamsin finally stopped in a dark, narrow street. The kind of back alley that would have freaked out anyone, but not Tamsin.

Her whole body was sore from the run but her heart was suffering so much more. Her vision became clouded and the Valkyrie didn't know if it was because of the rain or because of the tears that hadn't stopped running down her cheeks since she left the crack shack.

Abruptly, the pain in her heart grew stronger. So much stronger that she couldn't stand up anymore. She fell on her knees, letting an agonizing scream escape from her lips. Crying, she placed a hand over her heart, gritting her teeth at the effort of fighting back the unbearable pain engulfing her, but nothing worked. Her breathing was ragged, and it was only getting worse and harder to breathe with every second. Tamsin knew she had to calm herself but she was paralyzed, unable to control the flow of emotions destroying her body.

Suddenly, Tamsin heard a voice behind her, despite the sound of the rain falling against the pavement and of her heavy breathing.

"Well well well… Could this be the traitorous Valkyrie, here, kneeling on the ground?" the blonde female said with an irritating smile on her face, carefully moving around the Valkyrie so she could face her.

Tamsin, on the other hand, didn't even bother to raise her head to answer, still struggling with her breathing and pain: "Go… to Hell… Stacy."

A snarky laughter escaped the other blonde's throat: "Oh Tam-Tam, your courtesy will get you killed one day," she responded. She studied the Valkyrie closer and realized with great satisfaction the amount of suffering the other Fae was experiencing. Her smile grew even wider. "I can't believe this is true... On your last life, you finally found your warrior, your soul-mate, and sadly for you she denied your love," Stacy said, laughing harder.

Tamsin raised her head, frowning a little, surprised by what her 'sister' had just said. Stacy looked at her, understanding why she looked confused.

"Tamsin..." she began, sighing. "You really thought that Freyja, the goddess of love and also the mother of the Valkyries, wouldn't know about you and the Succubus? I needed to see it by myself... and I have to admit it... It was worth the trip, really," Stacy said taking a step towards the other blonde before continuing: "I've been waiting for centuries to see you like this, Tamsin, suffering and alone like I was when you used to humiliate me when we were in school together. I just didn't know that a Succubus, who by the way isn't a warrior at all, would be the one to break you." She stopped to laugh again. "I've been beaten by a baby Fae, a dumb, silly, stupid, unenlightened sex-machine. Don't you think it's funny Tam-Tam? I think I should go see her, just to thank her, you know? After I kill you of course," Stacy finished, getting ready to fight, as she knew all too well that her words must have enraged the other woman.

And she was right, Tamsin had heard enough. Still struggling to regain control of her body, she finally stood up and looked at the other Valkyrie with a death glare. "Oh you really shouldn't have talked about her like that, bitch."

Their faces darkened as both Valkyries readied for their fight. It was going to be a bloody one.

 

* * *

 

**_Meantime.._ **

 

Bo went out of the crack-shack, car keys in hand, on her way to the Dal. It had finally stopped raining but the air was still cold. She reached her car and moved to insert the key in the lock when suddenly she felt someone behind her. She turned around briskly but didn't have the time to react, as her back was slammed into the side of her car, a dagger pressing lightly against her throat.

"A… Acacia?" Bo asked hesitantly as soon as she recognized the woman.

"Where is she, Succubus? Where is Tamsin?" asked the older woman in a commanding voice.

But before Bo had the time to respond, Acacia let out a painful cry, removing her dagger from Bo's throat to place it over her heart.

"We have to find Tamsin, something's wrong with her... really wrong... I can feel it," the Valkyrie said looking at the Succubus, her eyes full of fear.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi there! :) Sorry for the short delay, email trouble and all.. So, here is the second chapter, I hope you will like it!
> 
> I also wanted to really thank my editor again Till the fat lady sings and all the persons who reviewed the first chapter, it motivated me a lot to write this chapter.
> 
> The first scene was a little hard to write for me, I don't why though.. Anyway, enjoy and thank you for reading! :)

"Look at you, Tamsin. You are miserable. Do you really want to fight?" said Stacy smugly. "I'm trying to be a good friend here Tam-Tam. I know that you can't win. And you know it too! You should let it go, Tamsin. Putting up a fight will only bring you an extremely painful death," she finished, smirk plastered on her face and looking straight into the other Valkyrie's eyes, in an attempt to intimidate her. 

Tamsin let out a small laugh, looking more amused than intimidated by the other woman. "Oh Stacy, you'll never learn. I could beat you with both hands tied behind my back." She paused before continuing. "You remember what happened in high school, right?" Tamsin said, still trying to keep the overwhelming feeling of pain in her chest under control. She hoped that if she spoke arrogantly and made snarky comments to the other Valkyrie, it would distract her from the pain she was in. It didn't.

But now her words made the smaller blonde mad. Really mad. Tamsin knew they would, but she couldn't help it, she loved making fun of her 'sister'.

Stacy's eyes became even darker than before and yelling in rage, she literally threw herself at Tamsin. They both fell to the ground in an angry mess of limbs, punches and kicks, Stacy even managing to punch the other blonde in the face a few times.

On any other day, Tamsin would have been able to dodge the attacks the other Valkyrie was throwing at her without breaking a sweat. But, in this situation, with her heart literally tearing apart, it was just impossible. She could not even breathe right and after a few punches that the other girl threw at her, she couldn't gather her thoughts long enough to mount a counterattack. 

Her vision became more blurry than before. Using all her strength, she successfully locked her legs around Stacy and pushed the blonde off her, reversing their positions. Now on top of Stacy, Tamsin began fighting back as well as she could. After a few hooks, she was completely exhausted, however. She was in great pain and perfectly aware that she was weak. Unfortunately she was weaker than Stacy was, not to mention slower. And in that moment, she realized that she had absolutely no chance to win the fight in this condition. 

Stacy knew it too. She took that opportunity to wrestle free from underneath the other Valkyrie, pushing her away so viciously that she landed on the ground again. Stacy jumped to her feet and swiftly kicked the other blonde again but this time right in the face. 

Tamsin didn't even have time to reach and was almost knocked out by the heavy blow to her face. Almost unconscious, she was coughing out blood while struggling to keep breathing. 

Seeing Tamsin lying there on the dirty ground, completely bloodied and battered, made Stacy feel even more confident and powerful than ever before. Her breathing was ragged due to the intensity of the fight, but overall she was well. Actually only her nose was bleeding. 

"I tried to warn you, I told you couldn't win, Tamsin. But you are so stubborn… Or is it just stupid?" she asked while wiping off the blood that was coming out from her nose. She didn't expect an answer so she continued. "You used to be the strongest Valkyrie of all time, the most courageous, they said. And I was always the second. No one noticed me because of you!" she snarled, getting angrier by the second "But now you are just a pathetic weakling. That fucking little Succubus you chose as your warrior made you weak." she said with a snarky laugh. 

"I cannot believe I had to wait for centuries to see you like this, to finally have my revenge. But I have to admit that it was totally worth it." She made a brief pause. "Who would have believed that love will get you killed, Tamsin?" Stacy finished before kicking the defeated Valkyrie in the ribs again and again. 

On the ground, Tamsin knew it was over. She tried to fight back at first, despite the pain, but then she realized that she had no reason left to fight for. Her heart was literally bleeding for a girl who didn't seem to care. Even with her lack of experience in feelings and love, Tamsin knew that a life without Bo was out of the question. She could not stand a life without the stubborn Succubus. She knew she would rather die at the hands of one of the people she hated the most, than live a miserable life as a fallen Valkyrie because her feelings would never been returned. 

This was the first time since she was born, many centuries before, that she would not fight back. She did not want to. She would not fight back for her survival.

It was against everything a Valkyrie, a warrior was taught. It was against their nature, against her primary instinct. But Tamsin was different, she had always been different. In that moment, she forgot everything that she had ever been taught. She didn't care anymore.

The taller blonde was physically exhausted by the fight she had just had with Stacy. She could feel her ribs cracking one after another with every kick she was receiving. But above all, she was emotionally drained, exhausted by her feelings and the pain she felt for being rejected. Again. 

She just laid there on the ground, her gaze empty, waiting for the sentence. 

Stacy stopped beating her for a second. "Are you actually giving up?" she asked both surprised and amused. Tamsin was not responding so she continued. "Whoa. You know what? I changed my mind. I really wanted to kill you… Well I still want to kill you with my bare hands, Tamsin, but seeing you suffer like this because of a what? Teenage heartbreak? It is much more exiting!" She took a step towards Tamsin. "You want me to kill you to put an end to the pain you are in, is that it?" She let out a snarky laugh before continuing. "Well, go to hell, Tamsin, I will enjoy seeing you broken like this every day of your pathetic a miserable life." She came closer to the other Valkyrie again and kneeled so she could whisper directly into her ear "I win. You lose." With that she stood up and walked away, a smirk on her face again, leaving the Tamsin alone and bleeding on the pavement of a dark, narrow alley. 

Tamsin barely even registered what had just happened. She stopped any attempts to block out the pain in her heart. Accepting the pain and her fate, she let out a cry of agony before slowly drifting off into unconsciousness, a single tear running down her cheek.  


* * *

_**Meantime...** _  


"Stop the car," Acacia said suddenly.

"Why? We need to find Tamsin! You said it yourself, she is probably in danger..." Bo began before being cut off abruptly. 

"Stop the car. Right now!" the Valkyrie repeated authoritatively. 

Heeding the command and the sense of urgency in the older woman's tone, Bo complied and pulled the car over the side of the road. "So, what now?" the Succubus spoke after a long moment of silence. 

"She is close, I can feel it but..." 

"But what?" she asked impatiently. 

"I cannot feel the pain anymore. I cannot feel her pain." Acacia replied looking as terrified as before. Maybe even more. 

"Isn't that a good thing?" Bo asked, confused by the expression of the older woman. "I mean, if she is not suffering anymore, it is good, right?" 

The Valkyrie turned to look at the brunette right in the eyes. "You don't understand." She took a long breath before continuing. "As her mentor, I always... feel Tamsin. I mean, if she is really mad, angry, I can feel a small part of her rage burning inside of me. If she is hurting, like she was minutes ago, I can feel something in me aching… I can always feel what she is feeling, even if it is almost imperceptible." She stopped talking, taking a moment to regain her composure. 

"Now all I can feel is… despair... It is like she does not want to fight for her life anymore... She is utterly defeated," Acacia said before she turned her head to look out the window, whispering "I never felt that from her. Ever." It was barely audible, but Bo heard her, and it made her heart sink.

The Succubus turned her head away from Acacia because she felt the tears starting to well in her eyes and she didn't want the other woman to see her like this. She did not want to let the tears fall, she had cried enough. She could not help but feel guilty, everything was her fault after all. Tamsin was letting go of her life because of her. Because she had broken the Valkyrie's heart, she had literally broken her. The blonde Fae who grew up with her and Kenzi was going to die because of her. She could not let that happen. She could not be responsible for her death. 

Tamsin was family, and she needed her, her Valkyrie needed her. "I will find you, Tamsin" Bo said to herself, feeling more determined than ever before. 

Finally Acacia's voice snapped her out of her thoughts "Let's go! We need to find her, no time to waste." 

When they were about to get out of Bo's Camaro, the Succubus suddenly saw someone running in the street. It was definitely a woman, but it was so dark outside and the woman facing away, Bo was not able to see who it was. Only when the woman stopped running and turned around did Bo recognize her. And she knew it was bad. 

"Is it…Isn't that... Stacy?" Bo immediately asked Acacia. 

"Oh that little bitch..." the Valkyrie responded. 

Hearing Acacia's words, Bo rushed out of the car and noticed the other woman doing the same. "Hey Stacy," Bo shouted angrily at the blonde in the middle of the street. 

The blonde Valkyrie turned around so she could see the person who shouted at her. When she saw that it was the famous unaligned Succubus and Tamsin's favorite person in the world, she couldn't help but smirk at her and let out a bitchy laugh. 

Stacy's attitude made Bo even angrier than she was before, her eyes flashed blue instantly but Acacia spoke before she could say or do anything. 

"Where is she, Stacy? Where's Tamsin?" 

A look of far spread on Stacy's face when hearing, and then seeing Acacia moving out of the shadows behind Bo. The blonde turned around and began to run as fast as she could before disappearing in an alley.

Instinctively Bo wanted to run after the blonde. She wanted to wipe away the smirk she had seen on her face but before she could move, Acacia stopped her. 

"No. Let her go, I will deal with her later, I give you my word. Right now we need to find Tamsin. And fast." "But she can tell us where Tamsin is!" the Succubus protested, her voice rising and her eyes still shining blue. 

"We can find her ourselves. She is not far from here, I can assure you of that. It will be a waste of time going after that bitch, she won't say a thing." Seeing that the Succubus was still reluctant, she continued "Look, I want to kill her just as much as you want to, trust me. But Tamsin needs us," Acacia finished in a serious tone.

Bo knew in her heart that the other woman was right. "Let's go then," she replied and they took off running. 

Bo's mind was racing, and so was her heart. She hoped that they would find her in time, that they wouldn't be too late. But what if they were? 

Bo had never been so afraid in her life. She needed to find Tamsin, she needed her to be okay. She had so many things to say to her. She had to say how she really felt about her. She had to open up to her. 

She could not live a life without Tamsin. Not anymore. Since the blonde's rebirth, they became closer than they were before. A lot closer. Yes, they slept together but until tonight, Bo had thought that it was just sex for Tamsin. But when the blonde opened up to her and practically offered her heart on a platter, she didn't know how to react, she wasn't prepared to hear all of that. She had never given serious thought to how she felt for the blonde so the Valkyrie's admission of love had caught her off-guard and she didn't know what to say in that moment. 

But right now there's one thing the succubus knew without a doubt: she could not live a life without Tamsin. In fact, a life with Tamsin as just a friend would not be enough. She cared deeply for the blonde. Actually, she had strong feelings for her. And she needed to say all of that to Tamsin. 

She hated herself for not realizing it sooner. 'Damn it, how can I be such an idiot?!' she thought, feeling her eyes beginning to water again. 

She almost ran into Acacia who had stopped running abruptly. She followed the Valkyrie's immovable gaze to something ... or someone lying on the ground in a narrow side street. 

Overtaken by a growing sense of dread, Bo approached the other woman slowly, to see what she was looking at. And when she did, her heart almost stopped beating at the sight. 

An unconscious form lying on the dirty pavement. It was a woman, and she was not moving. Even if Bo could not see her face from where she was, even if it was already dark, even if her vision was blurry because of the tears in her eyes which were threatening to come out, Bo knew it was her Valkyrie lying there. 

Unable to contain her emotions anymore, tears began to flow down her cheeks unhindered. "Oh my god, Tamsin!" she yelled before running to the blonde, followed closely by Acacia. 

**_  
_ **

**_To be continued..._ **  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So...What did you think about it? Please let me know what you think! Kudos and comments are extremely appreciated! :)
> 
> Thanks for reading again :')
> 
> Contact me on FFN, twitter or Tumblr: RSkarFR


	3. Hold on to me

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you very much to those who reviewed/commented the last chapters, having your opinion about this story matters to me. Also thank you to those who left kudos :)
> 
> So, here is the third chapter, hope you will like it! Enjoy!

Blood. There was blood everywhere. The closer Bo got to Tamsin's motionless form, the more blood she could see. Fear paralyzed her the second she reached the Valkyrie. There she was, lying on the ground, probably unconscious and in desperate need for help, and Bo could not move a single muscle anymore.

She finally kneeled beside the blonde, not knowing what to do anymore.She wanted to touch her, but did not know how. She wanted to check her pulse, but she did not have the strength and the courage to. She wanted to talk to Tamsin, to just say something, but no word came out of her mouth.

So she just stared at her. She stared at the bloody mess in front of her, her heart aching at the sight of the Valkyrie. She had never seen her like this. To Bo, Tamsin had always been this strong and fierce warrior. To her, Tamsin was a rock, practically undefeatable.

Even after the Valkyrie became somehow softer in her last life, due to the fact that she had been raised by Kenzi and was surrounded by people who cared about her, the Succubus never once doubted her strength. Yes, she had seen her vulnerable a few times, especially when Tamsin was just a naive teenager. But none of that ever changed the way she viewed and thought of Tamsin. 

And now all she could see was a badly beaten body. She didn't recognize Tamsin like this.

"She's still breathing," Acacia spoke. "Her pulse is weak, but she's alive." 

Bo didn't even see the older woman kneeling by the other Valkyrie to check her vitals. 

Seeing Bo frozen in place, Acacia realized that she was in shock. "Hey! Snap out of it, Succubus! Did you hear what I just said? She is alive." She paused so Bo could register what she had just said. "She is alive. She is hurt and she needs you, so move! Come on, just do something already!" 

Bo finally snapped out of the trance she was in. She looked briefly at the older Valkyrie who nodded to her in encouragement.

She finally decided to move and reached to take Tamsin's face between her hands, trying to avoid the cuts and bruises covered in blood, so as not to hurt her even more. 

"Tamsin, come on, wake up..." she said hesitantly, waiting for her Valkyrie to wake up so she could see her beautiful green eyes again. 

"God damn, you're a Succubus! Are you stupid or what? Give her some of your chi! What are you waiting for?!" Acacia growled at her, losing her patience. 

Bo actually hadn't thought about that. The last time she had tried to give her chi to the beautiful blonde, when she was shot at Taft's compound, it did not work. 

When she thought about it, she really didn't know why it didn't work that day. It always worked, on everyone, but not on Tamsin. What was different about her? 

She did not reply to Acacia. Instead she carefully approached her face near the blonde's, their lips slightly brushing and began to transfer her chi to the other Fae. 

Bo was ready to heal her Valkyrie, no matter the cost. It was her fault Tamsin was in this condition, and she had to fix it. Even if it meant she had to give her all of her chi. Even if it meant that she had to die in order to save her. She was ready to sacrifice herself for Tamsin. 

But it did not work. As soon as the chi began to left her body, it evaporated in the air almost immediately, just like it had months ago when she had attempted the same transfer.

"No no no... Not again! Why isn't it working?! It has to!" Bo sobbed as she tried again and again, but it never worked. She was just wasting her energy. 

"What the… It can't be..." Acacia whispered to herself as she was witnessing the scene unfolding before her. "The bond…" she added quietly. 

"The bond? What bond? What are you talking about?" Bo asked, confused by the older woman's words. 

"Nothing," she replied quickly. Perhaps a little too quickly. Before Bo could question her again, she continued, "We need to move her somewhere safe." 

"We can get her back to the crack shack." 

"Did you hear the part where I said 'somewhere safe'?" Acacia asked sarcastically. 

"Well if you have a better idea, please enlighten me," Bo retorted angrily. Instead of answering, Acacia went to help Bo carry Tamsin back to the car. When they began moving the Valkyrie, she grunted in pain and began to regain consciousness. 

"Tamsin can you hear me? Come on, open your eyes, babe. Please..." Bo pleaded with her, her voice as soft as possible. The blonde tried but could not open her eyes, her eyelids felt like they were made of lead. All she could feel was pain burning every part of her body, and the taste of blood in her mouth. At a certain point she thought she felt soft hands on her face, and someone calling for her. But she was almost sure that it was just a hallucination or a figment of her imagination, catering to her heart's desire. But then, she became increasingly aware of someone or several people trying to move her, as a sharp jolt of pain ran through her body. She could not help but let out a cry of agony when she felt the pain increase. It was then that she heard the voice again. 

She knew that voice. How could she not recognize it? It was the softest voice she had ever heard. 

It was Bo's. 

Bo. She was there. She was there for her - her warrior, her soulmate, the love of her life, of all her lives, was there. Maybe it was just a dream? She focused on that voice, which practically begged her to open her eyes. She had to see if it was not a dream.

With all the strength she had left, she slowly opened her eyes only to find a pair of big brown eyes staring back at her. It was her, she was real. A mixed look of worry and relief washed over Bo's face the moment she finally saw the Valkyrie regain consciousness. 

"B...Bo?" Tamsin was barely able to speak, coughing out blood at the same time. 

"Yeah, it's me babe, I'm here Tamsin, I'm here and I am not leaving you. You hear me? I will not let you go away again... I promise," Bo replied, letting out a breath she didn't know she was holding. Seeing Tamsin's eyes open was the most beautiful thing the Succubus had never seen. The blonde Valkyrie was still there. Alive. She had not given up completely. There was hope. That is all the brunette needed to see.

"Bo you have to get out of here... It is too dangerous... She wants to kill you..." Tamsin said between coughs. The Succubus could see she was having a hard time trying to breathe correctly. Her eyes were closed again, her eyebrows furrowed in a heavy frown. Pain was written all over her face. 

The brunette guessed that Tamsin was speaking about Stacy, and she was aware that the other Valkyrie was indeed a threat to her. Bo wanted to reassure the blonde, to tell her that Stacy had fled, but before she got the chance to, she noticed that her warrior was losing consciousness again. 

"Hey, hey, Tamsin come on, stay with me," Bo said, lightly patting her cheeks, in hope of keeping her awake. 

The Valkyrie opened her eyes one last time and stared at the Succubus, before closing her eyes for good, a very slight smile on her lips. 

Before the brunette could even panic, Acacia checked Tamsin's pulse again and let out a sigh of relief. 

Bo looked at her confused. "What? What's wrong?" 

"She let herself fall into a coma. This is good, this is how Valkyries heal when they are badly injured. We heal faster in this state," Acacia explained briefly. 

"So does that mean she's gonna be okay?"

"I don't know that, yet. C'mon, we need to get her to your place." 

With that, both women started carrying an unconscious Tamsin through the dark alleys of the city, heading back to Bo's Camaro. 

* * *

When they reached the car, Bo fished the car keys out of her pocket with one hand, the other still on Tamsin's waist, supporting her. She threw the keys to Acacia. "You drive," she said commandingly, leaving no room for discussion. The older Valkyrie complied without questions and got into the driver's seat, while Bo laid Tamsin down on the backseat as gently as possible, placing the blonde's head on her lap. 

"Ready?" Acacia asked as she started the Camaro. 

"Yeah, go," Bo replied, staring at the unconscious blonde. 

She realized she could not look away, her eyes where literally glued to the injured woman. The Succubus needed to be as close to the Valkyrie as it was humanly possible. She pulled one of the Valkyrie's hands in a gentle grip, while running her fingers delicately through the blonde's hair. 

And for what seemed like ages, Bo whispered sweet, comforting words to the Valkyrie, words she didn't think she was ever going to say so freely. "You're gonna be okay." "Fight, my Valkyrie." "Come back to me, Tamsin… please, I cannot lose you." 

The brunette was lost in thought when she noticed all of a sudden that the unconscious woman was even colder than before. She was literally freezing, and had started shaking slightly, as well. 

"Hmm... Acacia? She's cold," Bo announced, her voice full of anxiety. 

"Valkyries have a natural body temperature lower than average," the older Valkyrie replied calmly. 

"No, it's not just that… she's freezing! She can't stop shaking, Acacia... Damn it! What do I do?!" 

"Shit. Keep her as warm as you can. And hold on tight," the Valkyrie shot back and pushed the gas pedal to the floor, driving as fast as she could. 

* * *

After probably violating all the traffic rules ever invented, they finally reached their destination. Just like a few minutes before, both women picked up Tamsin and carried her inside the crack shack. 

"Let's set her down on the couch," Bo said after unlocking the door. 

"Good idea, I really don't want to carry her upstairs. Good God, what does she eat? She fucking weighs a lot more than she looks!" Acacia replied, breathless. 

The Succubus let out a chuckle. "Well, mostly cereals and Chinese food and… a lot of alcohol but I'm sure you already know that." 

"She's a Valkyrie, what did you expect?" Acacia huffed. 

"Nothing less, nothing less…" the brunette muttered under her breath. 

They struggled for a minute to settle Tamsin as comfortable as possible on the couch. When they were done, Acacia, a very serious look on her face, started checking all of the other Valkyrie's injuries, while Bo just kneeled beside her and started caressing the blonde's cheek. It was the most affectionate she had ever been with Tamsin, she couldn't help thinking. 

After several minutes of silent examination, which seemed like forever to the Succubus, the older woman stood up abruptly. 

"She'll be okay. Well, she obviously took quite a beating; she's got a few broken ribs, her shoulder was dislocated but I took care of it, and she has cuts and bruises practically everywhere but I don't think there is any internal bleeding or anything. So she'll be alright after a week or so," Acacia explained. 

"Are you sure?" 

"If you keep her warm enough, yes, she will be okay. Still, she'll be unconscious for a day or two and she will probably be in a lot of pain when she wakes up. But she can handle it, she's..." 

"Yeah, a Valkyrie, I know," Bo cut her off. 

"Tamsin. She's Tamsin," Acacia finished looking at the Succubus who was still kneeling on the floor.

When the brunette didn't answer, the older Valkyrie continued, "And that's my cue to go," before heading to the door.

"Wait, Acacia!" Bo said as she stood up. "What is... the bond?" 

Seeing that the older woman was looking at her with wide eyes, obviously surprised, but was not saying anything, she continued. "I heard you mention it before, after we found Tamsin, when I couldn't give her my chi. It sounded important… What is it?" she asked with pleading eyes, knowing it would be hard to obtain an answer from the borderline hostile Valkyrie. 

Bo could see that the topic was making the other woman uncomfortable. She had obviously touched on something that she was not supposed to. After a moment, Acacia finally replied, "Look, it's not my place to tell you about that. It's kind of… personal. I should not have said anything in the first place. You should definitely talk to Tamsin about that. And if not, I'm sure she will talk to you about it in her own time."

While Bo was still trying to process what Acacia had just said, the older woman began to move towards the door again. After a few steps, she stopped and turned around again. "Oh and before I forget, Succubus," she spoke in a threatening tone. "I may have been nice to you because we wanted the same thing, finding Tamsin, but let me get this straight." She took a menacing step toward Bo. "I know that it is your fault my 'protégée' was found in this state, I can feel it and I can see the guilt in your eyes. And I also know that I cannot hurt you without hurting her too. But let me be very clear to you. If you break her again, I will remove all your organs and make you eat all of them while you're still alive. Am I clear?" 

Bo just looked down again, overtaken by guilt. Everything Acacia had said was right. Her mind flooded by images all of a sudden, and she couldn't do anything to stop them. She saw the way Tamsin's smile faded when she had told her she did not lover her, 'not like that.' She saw the tears in the Valkyrie's eyes. She saw the other Fae broken, wondering what was wrong with her. She saw her yelling that she did not want to be followed. 

Tears welled up in her eyes again, and after several moments of silence, she heard Acacia moving towards the door again. Without thinking, her voice still trembling under the weight of the emotion all of these recent memories had stirred inside her, she called the other woman's name. "Acacia." 

The Valkyrie stopped. "Thank you… Thank you so much," Bo continued. The older woman turned and looked into her eyes for a few moments. Eventually, she just nodded in Bo's direction before making her way out of the house, leaving the Succubus to deal with the unconscious Valkyrie and her emotions alone. Or almost.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, what do you guys think about it? :) Don't forget to comment, to tell me your opinion and all. If you have questions or requests, do not hesitate to contact mehere, on FFN, Tumblr or Twitter!
> 
> Also, I'll try to update as soon as possible but I'm moving into my new apartment to study, so I'll be probably very busy but I'll try my best, I promise :)
> 
> Thank you for reading!


	4. Chapter 4

After Acacia left, Bo spent a few long minutes doing nothing but looking at Tamsin lying there on the couch. Her mind was racing. She knew she had to make it up to the Valkyrie when she would wake up. She knew she had to do whatever it would take to be forgiven. To at least be friends again. She couldn’t bear the idea of Tamsin leaving or hating her.

 

She couldn’t bear the idea of hurting the other Fae again like she had that night. The hurt in her beautiful green eyes was something she would never be able to forget. Bo had killed, yes, and that was something that would always haunt her for the rest of her life. But never before had she seen someone looking so hurt because of her.

 

The Succubus’s thoughts were interrupted when she heard a groan coming from the blonde Valkyrie lying in front of her. A frown marring her beautiful features, her jaw clenched, it was clear she was in great pain from her injuries.

 

At first, Bo thought Tamsin was waking up so she rushed by her side and got down on her knees again, gently cupping the Valkyrie’s face with her shaky hands.

 

“Tamsin?” Nothing. “Tamsin, can you hear me?” But no answer came this time either. 

 

Finally, the blonde stopped groaning and slipped back into what seemed to be a more peaceful slumber.

 

“No wonder you’re groaning, it’s just impossible to be comfortable on this fucking couch,” Bo said, talking more to herself than to Tamsin.

 

Bo had to make a choice, leaving Tamsin on the sofa and clean her wounds there or carrying her to her bedroom upstairs where she would be more comfortable and getting her cleaned up would be a lot easier. It didn’t take her long to decide – she would take her upstairs, and not only for the sake of comfort. In the bedroom, the Valkyrie would be safer, less vulnerable and just easier to protect if Stacy or any uninvited person would decide to show up.

 

She then carefully picked Tamsin up in her arms and carried her bridal style up to the bedroom.

 

After setting the blonde gently on her bed, Bo felt light headed all of a sudden and almost lost her balance.

 

“Damn it,” she cursed herself for feeling so weak in such an inappropriate moment. 

 

That is when she realized how exhausted she actually was. With all that had happened over the past few hours, no wonder she was low on chi. Her body and her mind were tired. Carrying Tamsin all the way to her bedroom alone had completely worn her out.

 

The brunette went to the bathroom next to her bedroom to get all the supplies she needed to clean Tamsin’s wounds. She really didn’t want the blonde to get some infection or anything because of the cuts. 

 

That is when she saw what a mess she actually was herself. She had circles under her eyes, her make-up had run down her face, Tamsin’s blood all over her, and her face was so pale that she thought she was dead for a second. With a deep sigh, she decided to clean herself very quickly before returning to the blonde’s side. 

 

Removing her watch she noticed that is was almost 4am. No wonder she was exhausted.

 

After washing all the blood away, Bo returned to the bedroom, setting all the medical supplies on the huge bed, besides the still asleep Valkyrie.

 

She was about to begin when a knock on the door startled her. She quickly regained her composure and grabbed her dagger before heading downstairs as quietly as possible. She heard what sounded like someone was picking the lock and prepared herself for a fight, ready to go against anyone who would want to hurt her or Tamsin.

 

Her whole body tight with anticipation, her heart racing, Bo couldn’t stop thinking about what Tamsin had told her earlier, during the brief moment when she was actually conscious: _“Bo you have to get out of here... It is too dangerous... She wants to kill you…”_

 

The Succubus knew who the ‘she’ in Tamsin’s warning was. Stacy. If Stacy was coming, Bo knew there was no way she could control herself. She was going to kill the Valkyrie. She wanted to hurt her, at least as much as she had hurt Tamsin. She wanted Stacy to suffer.

 

But when the door opened, Bo immediately dropped her dagger and ran towards to greet the only person she actually wanted to see at that moment.

 

“Whoa there Bobo! What’s the hug for? You know I actually tried to knock at the door, like a normal person but then I thought it would be way quicker to let myself in.”

 

Bo stopped hugging the Goth girl and took a step back to look at her, while still holding her hands tightly, just to make sure she was real.

 

“Kenzi, I’m so glad you’re here. Wait. How did you get here? I mean, you were just in Spain a few hours ago!” Bo said surprised, still not believing that her best friend was in front of her.

 

“Well I have my ways, I will explain later, but you sounded so desperate and I was so worried about Tammy! Where is she, by the way? Did she come back here or something? I have to talk to her, I mean, that is what mothers do, right?” the human said almost jokingly but her smile immediately faded when she saw the look on Bo’s face.

 

“What happened to Tamsin?” Kenzi said seriously. “Bo where is she? What happened to her? Talk to me!”

 

“She is upstairs,” the Succubus replied, her voice trembling. “She is in a coma... She was hurt because of me, Kenzi, I am so sorry,” she finished as another violent sob racked her body. 

 

The human took a step forward to take her in her arms, doing her best to stay as calm as possible because she was very aware that freaking out would only make things worse.

 

“Come on, tell me everything,” Kenzi whispered in Bo’s ear, still holding her best friend who was letting go of all the emotions she had struggled so hard to keep bottled in over the last few hours.

 

When Bo stopped sobbing and was calm again, she explained everything that happened between her and Tamsin after Kenzi had left. Then they went together upstairs and started cleaning Tamsin’s wounds in silence.

 

Every time they discovered a new bruise or a new cut on the Valkyrie’s body, Kenzi could see tears welling up in the Succubus’s eyes. She herself was having a very hard time controlling her emotions.

 

Since her rebirth, the Valkyrie had been a very important part of Kenzi’s heart. The human had seen her as a little girl, lost and vulnerable. Tamsin had grown on her. Even if now they were good friends, the human would always see her as her protégée, as someone she should look after no matter what. And she was proud of the blonde. Yes she was, because she had raised the Fae as someone who was badass but also caring, loyal and most of all human. She knew it was difficult for the Valkyrie to express her feelings but when they were just the two of them together, Tamsin opened up and shared her thoughts and almost everything with her. Kenzi admired Tamsin for that and for everything she was.

 

She cared for the Valkyrie more than anything, and it hurt her to see the blonde in this state. She knew she had to be strong. For herself, for Tamsin and also for Bo. She could see how the brunette was affected by this situation. The strong Succubus was suffering a lot and even though she was trying to put on a brave face, it was absolutely impossible for her to hide the way she was feeling.

 

The human finally broke the silence. “I don’t blame you, you know.”

 

“Wh... What?”

 

“I don’t blame you for what happened to her. It is not your fault.”

 

“Look, Kenz, I really appreciate what you’re trying to do, I really do but we both know it is,” Bo answered sounding utterly defeated.

 

“I’m serious Bo. You weren’t the one who beat the shit out of her, you weren’t the one who tried to kill her. It is not your fault,” Kenzi replied, trying to convince the stubborn Succubus.

 

“But she was there because of me… If I hadn’t…” she stopped to wipe the tears which were beginning to form in her eyes. “She wouldn’t have been there in the first place if I wasn’t so selfish and self-centered. It _is_ my fault. I should have paid more attention to her. I should have figured out how she was feeling! Damn it! How can I be such an idiot, Kenzi? I should have known she was in love with me,” Bo finished. She was so angry at herself that she began sobbing uncontrollably once again.

 

“And I should have told you,” the human said with a cracking voice. She stood up and moved towards the crying warrior to take her hands in hers. “I should have told you. I knew exactly what she was feeling when it came to you. I’ve known for a long time already, I knew and I was the one to tell her to just go for it.” She stopped to take a long breath. “I was the one who encouraged her to open up to you. I should have known you weren’t ready Bo and I am so, so sorry,” the human finished, crying softly next to her friend and her still unconscious protégée.

 

 

“Oh Kenzi… It is not your fault, please don’t blame yourself,” the Succubus replied, taking her best friend in her arms as they both let out the tears they had been holding back from the beginning.

 

As they were comforting each other in a tight hug, they didn’t realize that someone had come into the crack shack until hearing a loud “Bo?”

 

Startled by the sound, they both quickly broke the embrace.

 

“Lauren?” Bo called back and moved to go downstairs again, followed by Kenzi.

 

“Yeah that’s me, I’m sorry, I know we’re in the middle of the night but I couldn’t sleep and I thought I would come by so we could talk about... well about us, and about what happened earlier. I tried to call you but you didn’t answer, so that’s why I’m here. Anyway, I...” Lauren stopped rambling when she looked up and saw the look on Bo’s face. It was obvious that she had been crying, she could still see the dried tears on her cheeks.

 

“What happened?” she asked immediately, worry evident in her voice. “Kenzi? What are you doing here?”

 

“Hey doc what’s up?” the other human replied unenthusiastically. Seeing that neither Lauren nor Bo was going to talk, she excused herself to give them privacy. She didn’t need to hear in detail what had happened between them earlier, she already had a pretty good idea what it was. “I’m gonna go check on Tamsin... I’ll leave you two alone, so you can... Whatever.” Then she went upstairs.

 

“What is going on?” Lauren asked searching for Bo’s eyes. She had the distinct feeling that the brunette was doing her best to avoid looking at her directly.

 

“It’s complicated…” Bo cleared her throat. “Tamsin... She... She’s been hurt and…”

 

“Is she okay? Does she need medical assistance?” the blonde cut her off, going into her doctor mode.

 

“No, I mean she’s hurt pretty bad but apparently she’s going to be okay, because Valkyries heal fast when they’re in a coma or something.”

 

“Wait. She’s in a coma? Wow. I heard rumors about their abilities to heal faster than any other Fae but I didn’t know if it was true. No one has ever seen a Valkyrie in a coma, and according to legends, a Valkyrie has to feel ‘safe enough’ to fall into a coma. And that practically never happens because Valkyries are a proud race, they trust no one and especially on the battlefield, so they prefer to die and be reborn rather than be in a coma and become vulnerable to others,” Lauren explained, both surprised and excited.

 

“I... I didn’t know. Look, I’m sorry but you should go, I need to watch over her, make sure she’s healing properly and all,” Bo explained briefly.

 

Lauren could sense the tiredness in the Succubus’s voice. “Wait Bo. Maybe I could go check on her? You know, just to make sure there aren’t any too severe injuries. Plus, I’ve never seen a Valkyrie in a self-induced coma, and like I said, this is something that I will probably never get the chance to see again so I would be grateful if…”

 

“Excuse me?” Bo cut her off, instantly feeling an overwhelming anger rising within her. “Are you serious? Is she just an experiment, a test subject to you? Do you think that what is happening right now is just cool and exciting?”

 

“Bo that’s not what I meant, I’m...” Suddenly Lauren felt nervous and scared, she knew that when the brunette was angry she could lose her temper in the blink of an eye and become aggressive, due to her Succubus nature.

 

“Don’t you even dare! That’s exactly what you meant!” Bo replied dryly.

 

“No I... I just… You seem so tired, I just thought I could help you by watching over her. And that’s my job, I probably know more things than you about her biology.”

 

“I can take care of her, Lauren!” Bo practically shouted. Silence feel over the crack shack. The blonde knew it was better to not respond or she would just make things even worse between them. “You should go. Now,” the Succubus added in a less aggressive tone this time, but still not looking into the other woman’s eyes.

 

Lauren just looked at Bo for a second, just to be sure the brunette would not change her mind. When she realized that the Succubus was not going to reconsider, she turned towards the door of the crack shack and walked out briskly.


	5. Chapter 5

 

      Bo was left alone again. Lauren was gone and she was mad at her. She knew her mind wasn’t clear and well, yes, maybe she overreacted because she weren’t really in the best mood right now, but she couldn’t help it.

 

She could easily imagine how the human should be feeling right now; confused, maybe even frustrated. And it was all her fault. Again. After all, she was the one who wanted to sleep with the doctor just the day before. She seduced her. And now, she just sent her away. Bo knew she would have to talk to her eventually, and soon. The brunette would have to talk to her about their relationship, their feelings toward each other because Lauren would probably want and explanation as soon as possible. And the Succubus owned her that.

 

But Bo didn’t want to think about it right now. For the moment, she had many other things to attend to. Moreover, how could she possibly talk to the doctor about her feelings when she didn’t even know what she was feeling herself. She didn’t know what she wanted. She didn’t know anything. Bo was a lost girl.

 

———————————————————————————————————————————

 

      The Succubus took a deep breath and quickly climbed the stairs so she could check on Tamsin again and finish attending to her numerous wounds.

 

When she was upstairs, she saw that Kenzi had put back a t-shirt on Tamsin and was covering the blonde with an impressive amount of blankets.

 

The human turned her head to look at the Succubus with concerning eyes when she heard her climbing the stairs. « You okay Bo? I didn’t want to listen, I swear but…but I heard yelling so.. » The small girl asked carefully.

 

« Yeah.. Well not really but I really don’t want to talk about it, not now Kenzi please. » The succubus pleaded .

 

The younger woman knew her best friend well enough to not push the subject more so she just nodded as an acceptance.

 

« Did you finish.. Hum you know, cleaning all the.. all her.. » Bo tried to ask. Generally she was confident and direct but at this moment it was difficult for her, only because she cared about Tamsin. She cared so much that it hurts her to prononce all those words like « Wounds », « cuts » or « bruises » when she was referring to the blonde.

 

« I did it, don’t worry. » Kenzi quickly replied seeing that the Succubus was having a hard time at controlling her emotions.

 

After a few seconds of just silence, she added while frowning « But now, she is just.. Cold. An-and I don’t even why! I left for something like 5 seconds, just to throw away all the bandages and gauzes but when I returned I saw her slightly shaking. And her face is even paler, no? Tell me she just hates being exposed to the sun » Kenzi asked worriedly.

 

A rush of fear passed through Bo’s body and she rushed to the bed to touch the forehead of the Valkyrie by herself.

 

« Shit! » she cursed quietly. « A-Acacia warned me, she told me that I needed to keep her warm because she might be this cold again! Dammit! She is lowering her heart rate and her body temperature in her coma state in order to heal quicker from her injuries. Acacia said it was called the ‘Valkyrie protective instinct’ or something like that. She told me that, she told me it could happen again, she told me to keep her warm and I… I just fucking forget dammit! » Bo finished, her tone rising with fear and angriness.

 

« Stop it! » Kenzi shouted at the Succubus in order to stop her rambling. She grabbed Bo’s arms with more force than necessary and to catch her attention and to force the other woman to look at her in the eyes. « Stop hating yourself for this Bo! Put that damn guiltiness away for just a second and do something useful! » She stop to take a breath and let the Succubus registering what she was saying. « Now, you take a deep breath and you get it together dammit! »

 

Kenzi knew she was a little harsh with the brunette and maybe even a little too much, but it necessary, it was the only way to have her attention and help Tamsin right now.

 

Bo took a few second to compose herself before speaking again « Okay…Okay What do I do? » She asked, unsure.

 

« Try to warm her, I don’t know, use you succucharm or something but please do something because those blankets are not enough obviously. »

 

« Okay I can do that, I can » She replied with more confidence in her voice than before.

 

The human finally let go of the other woman’s arms so she could move.

 

When Bo was close enough to the blonde again, she could see that the blonde was still shaking slightly, and her face was even paler than usual, and sweaty.

She delicately put the back of her hand onto Tamsin’s forehead and nearly jumped when she felt how cold the Valkyrie really was.

 

If she didn’t do something now, then it might be too late. She had to help, now.

 

She carefully sat onto the bed beside the Valkyrie, took one of Tamsin’s hand in one of hers and waves of warm began to pass into Tamsin’s body.

 

As a Succubus, Bo’s body was naturally hotter than the average. She never thought this ability could actually save someone one day. And for the first time since yesterday, Bo actually felt useful. She was doing something good, she was helping. 

 

As soon as her the warm hit Tamsin, the blonde let out a slight moan of relief in her sleep. The brunette could see how much her charm was helping the Valkyrie, her body temperature increased just minutes after Bo touched her and she almost stopped shaking now. Moreover, her charm seems to help her with the pain she was in. Immediately after the Succubus send her waves of charm, Tamsin’s frowned was gone.

 

Bo stayed like this, not moving for a few minutes, just enjoying the moment. For the first time tonight she felt good, relieved. Her mind was cleared at the second she laid her eyes on the blonde beneath her. Tamsin was going to be okay, physically speaking at least. She was going to be okay. 

 

———————————————————————————————————————————-

 

The clock was running and Bo was still in the same position, hours after. Kenzi went to take a nap earlier in her bedroom when she was sure Tamsin was not in danger anymore.

 

No matter how tired Bo was at this moment, she could not let herself falling asleep, because she knew she won’t be capable of charming Tamsin while sleeping. She was aware that she also won’t be able to do this all day but leaving the blonde’s side was out of question.

 

So she just stayed like that, sometimes sitting, sometimes lying beside the Valkyrie. She always held her hand, drawing small circles on it. Sometimes she would delicately caress the blonde’s bruised face.

She really wanted to embrace the Valkyrie in her arms but she couldn’t. Yes, she was afraid of hurting her but above all she wanted to respect Tamsin’s intimacy and she was quite certain the woman would not appreciate waking up cuddling the person who just broke her heart. So, even thought Bo wanted nothing more than just hold her tight and close, but she kept her distance, only because she cared for Tamsin and respected her enough to not go against her will.

 

The Succubus was so hypnotized by the blonde’s face that she didn’t hear her best friend coming to her.

 

« Hi there Bobo » Kenzi said with a little enthusiasm and stopped at the bed frame « How is she? » she asked, becoming serious instantly.

 

« Fine… Well I don’t know if ‘fine’ is actually the best word to describe her right now.. But she is all warmed up, she doesn’t have a fever either, and I think her injuries are healing good; no bleeding, no infection. » The brunette replied quietly.

 

« And how are you? You stayed awake the whole time? » the little human asked, looking directly in Bo’s eyes so she could not avoid the question.

 

"Yeah.. I’m good.. »

 

« Don’t lie to me. You know I love you Bobolicious, I really do but you’re just one of the most terrible liar of all time. You are not invincible and invulnerable, you have the right to feel bad, sad some times. Just talk to me. » 

 

« What do you want me to say Kenz… I screwed up okay? » the brunette replied, her voice broken with sadness. « It is like I used her. I let her love me, make love to me even though I knew I wasn’t sure if I wanted this or not. But she wanted this. And I let her take care of me because it felt so good, I didn’t have to worry or to save anyone when I was with her. I wasn’t the chosen one who needed to be there for everyone. It was just her and I. She made me feel safe Kenzi. » She finished, looking at Tamsin, with tears rolling down her cheeks.

 

« She was your shield against every shitting things that happened in this world right? » Kenzi asked quietly. She felt sad for her friend who was beating herself over it.

 

« Exactly.. »

 

« And what do you want now Bo? Do you want her to be your protective friend or do you want more? »

 

A few seconds passed before Bo opened her mouth to answer. 

 

« More. I want more. I can’t live without her Kenzi, I just can’t. I know that now, and I will never give up on her. » The Succubus replied, honestly in her voice. « But what if she doesn’t want me anymore? I broke her heart… She was so hurt and broken… what if she rejects me? » she asked her voice slightly rising as the tears started to well up in her eyes again.

 

« Just give her some time. I can assure you that there’s nothing more she wants than being with you. I know that since she was that little rebellious teenager blonde who was asking a million questions about you! She admired you so much! » The little human replied with pride. «  And yes, she will probably be angry and broken at first, but if you prove her that you want to be with her, that you are ready to be with her, and only her. Then, I am absolutely certain that you too will be happy as if nothing happened. Be patient Bo ». The human said smiling at the Succubus in attempt to confort her.

 

« I will explain to her everything, I will be honest toward her and then I will give her the space and the time she needs to decide. Thank you Kenz » she said wiping the tears on her cheeks.

 

« Okayyy now that we’re done with all the serious talk, let’s go get something to eat! Want anything in particular? » The black-haired woman asked.

 

« No thanks, I’m good here »

 

« You sure? you look like you could use a snack there, and I’m not just talking about food if you know what I mean. »

 

« I’m fine, seriously. Just a little tired I guess » Bo replied, still looking at the peaceful blonde beside her.

 

« Okay then, tell me if you need anything. Oh and I’m gonna call Dyson, just to let him know what happened and tell him that everything is under control now » the human added walking toward the steps. She stopped and turned around again when she heard a panicking Succubus.

 

« You are going to tell him? »

 

« Jeez relax! I’m not going to tell him EVERYTHING that happened between you and blondie Bobo, I’m not that stupid! But he is, well was Tamsin’s partner so I think it is only fair to tell him what happened to her, without any details. But he needs to know. » Kenzi explained calmly.

 

« You’re right. Sorry I just.. Panicked I guess. » she said with a chuckle. « I don’t want to know anyone else to know, as I’m sure Tamsin wouldn’t want anyone else to know. That is not their business. »

 

« I agree. Enough problem in our candy land right? Okay I’m out, pizza is calling! » the human turned and went downstairs.

 

———————————————————————————————————————————

 

      Bo stayed all day with the Valkyrie, she just watched the blonde breathing, her chest rising and falling at every breath. It was one of the most peaceful thing she had never seen. She really needed that silence to think, to clear her mind.

 

She would sometimes think about how dumb she had been, how she had turn off her feelings toward Tamsin.

She knew Tamsin had feeling toward her the day the blonde kissed her at the Yule party, and especially when they kissed the second time. 

 

She closed her eyes to let her mind travel.

 

_Bo laid her hands on Tamsin’s shoulders as their lips made contact, forgetting everybody around them. The blonde cupped her face, as they slowly and gently kissed. The Succubus could feel the emotions behind the kiss and it surprised her, she had butterflies in her stomach. She melted in that kiss._

 

_When they separated, Bo could feel Tamsin’s staring at her with the most lovely eyes she had never seen. She suddenly felt and nervous and quickly turned her head to avoid an embarrassing moment and changed the subject._

 

_« Nada » She said, cursing herself in her head for being this stupid and weak._

 

_« Speak for yourself » Tamsin replied ._

 

_The succubus looked at her in shock. ‘Did she just admit that this kiss meant more for her?’ she thought. Images, memories flooded in her head at this moment. She remembered all those little smiles, all those lovely look Tamsin gave her even though she thought no one was looking. She wanted to ask her, she wanted an explanation. An explanation for this kiss and also for that kiss in Brazenwood. She needed to know. But she was just too afraid to ask. So she didn’t. And then it was too late._

 

A small sad smile crossed Bo’s features as she remembered every good moment she had with the Valkyrie that night. Since that day, she was avoiding the subject, and every time Tamsin was complimenting her or even obviously flirting with her, she just changed the subject.

 

Like this time when it was her birthday, and that Tamsin came into her room to give her the cupcake (and more after).

 

_Bo was touched by the gift Tamsin gave her. Even if it was just a cupcake, it pleased her. It pleased her to see that Tamsin was doing everything that she could to just make her happy, to make her smile._

 

_Showing care was difficult for the blonde and the Succubus could see that she was nervous but she admired her nevertheless._

 

_The valkyrie handed her the cupcake, she took it and take a bit of it. That’s when she heard this lovely voice again that gave her butterflies in her stomach._

 

_« You were amazing today »_

 

_The brunette was taken by surprise and like a coward she changed the subject, again._

 

_« If there is something better than this, I have not encountered it » She replied as if she didn’t hear what the blonde just said to her. She quickly looked down to hide the blush that was on her cheeks._

 

Bo opened her eyes wide as the realization hit her.

 

That is how she has dealt with her feelings toward Tamsin. She buried them as deep as she could. But no matter how hard she had tried to deny them, they were constantly coming up to the surface every time she saw Tamsin. Every time they looked at each other in the eyes. It was unavoidable.

 

She turned her head to look at the blonde and leant forward to gently kiss the side of her face.

 

«  _Was it love?_ » She thought to herself. Had she settled so deeply into accepting what she had had with Dyson and Lauren, the familiarity of it all? Had she really been so frightened by her feelings for Tamsin because what she felt for her seemed impossibly more than she could fathom? Because they were deeper? Because they were more natural. Is this what love really was? The more Bo thought about it the more relaxed she felt. The freer she felt as she watched Tamsin sleep and the more anxious she was to see her awake.

 

She put her hands on the Valkyrie’s forehead, gently caressing the other woman’s hair before murmuring to the blonde, still unconscious beneath her:

 

« Have I loved you for all this time? »

 

———————————————————————————————————————————

 

      Kenzi went from time to time to check on both girls. She brought Bo a sandwich earlier even though the brunette kept repeating that she wasn’t hungry. But she couldn’t fool the little human so she ate half of it, just so Kenzi could stop annoying her.

 

Dyson offered his help as soon as Kenzi called him _« Call me if you guys need anything »_ he said. _« Also hum… If Bo needs to.. you know.. Feed. Tell her to give me a call »_ he also added, when the human told him Bo looked very tired. But he didn’t insist when the goth growled at him _« Keep it in your pants wolf boy, now is really not the right time! »._

Kenzi told Bo anyway but she knew she would declined his offer, and not rather nicely. And she was right. 

 

Bo did her best to stay awake, but she was so tired that her eyes were closing against her will and fell soon asleep in the evening, her body against Tamsin. 

 

———————————————————————————————————————————

 

      She was sleeping pretty well when noises woke her up. First she thought she was just dreaming but then she heard groaning and felt something moving against her.

She quickly opened her eyes to see in the moonlight that it was in fact Tamsin who was groaning and moving. 

The Succubus quickly sat up and put her hands on the blonde’s cheeks.

 

« Tamsin? » she whispered but the Valkyrie wasn’t opening her eyes « Tamsin? Can you hear me? » she added while gently tapping the other woman’s cheeks.

 

The blonde opened difficultly her eyes and look straight in the big brown worried eyes above her. 

 

« Bo? »

 

**_To be continued…_ **


	6. Chapter 6

Slowly regaining consciousness, Tamsin began to get back control of all her senses. She felt so tired, as if she hadn’t had any sleep for days. Every fiber of her body felt sore and her head was throbbing painfully.

She couldn’t recall what had happened. The Valkyrie tried to focus for a moment, her mind desperately trying to remember, to grasp at the distant flashes in her head. She remembered running in the pouring rain, the terrible ache in her heart, and Stacy. She knew they had fought but that was it. Everything was a blur after that moment. She assumed she must have blacked out at some point during in the fight. 

Her eyes still closed she tried to move, attempting to figure out where she was, and to remember what had happened after the fight. But as soon as she tried to get up, every muscle and bone in her body screamed in agony. She let out a growl she couldn’t muffle and laid back on the bed.

Tamsin had been in enough battles to know that she had taken quite a beating. The way her bones were aching, she was certain she had at least a few broken or cracked ribs, and surely some more serious injuries as well.

“Tamsin?” she heard suddenly. Tamsin froze on the spot. She knew that voice, she would recognize it among a million others. The voice that had made her fall in love. The same voice that had broken her heart.

The Valkyrie thought she was just dreaming and didn’t want to open her eyes to check if it was actually real. It couldn’t be real. Bo couldn’t be here. Bo had rejected her.

But then she felt a pair of soft hands on her face. These soft hands. Bo’s hands.

“Tamsin? Can you hear me?” she heard again. This time she was sure she was not hallucinating. Bo was with her, touching her. And even though Tamsin was hurting where Bo had touched her on the left side of her face, she found that she didn’t mind. Not one bit.

The blonde groggily opened her eyes to find big worried brown eyes staring at her. It was obvious the Succubus was concerned about her.

“Bo?” she managed to say, in a raspy voice. Her throat and her mouth were so dry.

“Yeah, it’s me, Tamsin, I’m here,” Bo replied, a single tear of relief rolling down her cheek. She was so happy and relieved to finally hear the blonde’s voice. She hadn’t even realized how she was craving to hear that voice again. To look into those bluish green eyes once more. She has missed Tamsin.

“But... Where am I?”

“You’re at the clubhouse, in my bedroom. Acacia and I carried you here after we found you,” Bo quietly replied.

“A-Acacia? What the hell was she doing here? Ugh… and what happened?”

“After you…” Bo stopped to clear her throat and compose herself. “After you left, I... I was worried about you and then Acacia showed up and told me we needed to find you. It’s a long story and I promise I will tell you everything, every last detail when you feel better. Bottom line is, we found you, you were unconscious and in a very bad shape, and we carried you here so you could heal.”

A few seconds passed where neither of them said anything. Tamsin closed her eyes again and brought one of her hands over her forehead. She seemed to be thinking hard about something. Bo studied her closely, noticing how the blonde looked completely worn out. She was struggling to keep her breaths even as a way of keeping her pain in check, Bo noted.

The Succubus felt nervous. The silence was making her nervous. And she had no idea what to say to the Valkyrie. She didn’t know what to do. She had waited for hours to see the blonde awake, and now that she was, Bo forgot everything she wanted to say. 

“Stacy… That bitch,” Tamsin grumbled, breaking Bo’s reverie. She sighed before speaking again. “How long was I out?” she murmured, still not looking directly at the other woman.

“A day or so,” Bo responded evenly. She took in a deep breath and finally plucked up the courage to start talking and explain absolutely everything to the Valkyrie. How she had acted with her the day before, her feelings toward the Valkyrie, how she had tried to bury them and why – absolutely everything. She opened her mouth to speak, but Tamsin started moving, trying to get up and barely being able to lift herself on her elbows.

Fortunately, the blonde was still very weak, she was still weaker and slower than the Succubus, who immediately put her hands on the blonde’s shoulders and gently pushed her down so she would lie down again.

“Hey hey take it easy, you’re still injured. Don’t move, you need to rest.”

Tamsin’s breathing was ragged as she tried to contain the excruciating pain in her ribs when she had attempted to sit up.

“Like you care,” the blonde spat out without thinking, but immediately regretted her words and her attitude the second she saw the look of guilt on the Succubus’s face and how tears were starting to well up in her beautiful brown eyes.

“I... I didn’t mean to snap at you,” the Valkyrie spoke again, more calmly. “I just wanted a drink,” she added with a smirk in an attempt to lighten the atmosphere.

Bo turned her head to look at the other woman. “It’s okay... I deserved that,” she replied with a small, sad smile. “I’m gonna go get you a drink, stay there.”

The blonde simply nodded and watched the brunette rushing downstairs.

Tamsin knew she shouldn’t be there. She should just go and stay away from the Succubus for good. That had been her intention, after all, when she had left the crack shack the previous day. But now, it was different. Now she had seen the concern and care in Bo’s eyes.

And this changed everything, because only a few hours ago she had been convinced she was nothing more than some distraction to the Succubus, a toy for the brunette to play with when she was lonely or bored, and toss way when she didn’t need it anymore.

But now, she didn’t need to ask Bo to know that the Succubus was indeed worried about her, that she actually cared. Tamsin saw all of this in the brunette’s eyes.

‘Why would she go looking for me in the middle of the night?’ the Valkyrie wondered. She could have just stayed at the crack shack after Tamsin had left. But she hadn’t. 

Over the years, and due to her Valkyrie training, Tamsin had learned to pay attention to everything. That’s how she knew Bo hadn’t sleep for a long time. The Succubus looked tired and drained of energy. When she had got up to go downstairs, the brunette moved slower than usual and was slightly stumbling while trying to walk straight. Tamsin was practically certain the brunette had stayed up the entire time she was unconscious, and surely hadn’t fed since before.

‘But why did she stay with me all this time? And why hasn’t she fed of someone?’ The blonde had so many questions, and she needed answers badly.

She was so deep in thought that she didn’t even realize the other woman had returned to the bedroom.

“Here,” Bo said handing her a glass of water. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you,” she added when she noticed the blonde had jumped slightly at the sound of her voice.

Tamsin only nodded, smiling lightly. It took her a moment to sit up straight in bed, with great difficulty, before taking the glass of water from Bo.

When their hands brushed against each other, Bo quickly turned her head to look at the floor in attempt to avoid a very awkward moment.

“Umm, thank you,” Tamsin said after clearing her throat and took a sip.

“Oh,um, I didn’t know if you wanted water or alcohol, so I brought a bottle of vodka too.” The blonde just stared at her. “Not that I take you for an alcoholic!” Bo added quickly when she saw that the Valkyrie wasn’t saying anything but just looking at her. “I-I just know that you like your vodka, and by you I don’t mean you you, you know? I mean you, Valkyries. In general. And that is not an insult, don’t get me wrong, I am not insulting your race, not at all! You have the right to deal with things the way that you want. I am not judging I swear! And I...” She stopped when she saw that Tamsin was still looking at her but was now trying to suppress a laugh. “And now I’m just rambling... Sorry ,” she finished with a chuckle and lowered her head in an attempt to hide the blush on her cheeks.

However, the blonde didn’t miss it. ‘Damn she’s so cute,’ she thought as she couldn’t contain the smile on her face.

“Water is fine,” she assured her.

“Oh okay. Hm, good then,” Bo replied quietly, setting the bottle of vodka on the nightstand.

A few minutes passed without either of them saying anything. Bo finally regained some courage to break the silence.

“How are you feeling? It’s not hurting too badly, I hope?”

“Good. I’m... good.”

‘Time to get your shit together Bo’

“We need to talk, Tamsin,” the brunette said suddenly, letting out a sigh she didn’t know she was holding in. ‘Here, I said it, finally.’

“Yeah you think?...” the Valkyrie asked rhetorically.

“Look I… Damn it, I don’t even know how to start,” the brunette cursed herself. “I... I’m sorry. I handled this all wrong, my feelings, my life, everything. I feel like I made all the bad choices I could have ever made. I shouldn’t have let you go earlier, I should have fought for you, I should have been honest with you.”

“But, you were honest, weren’t you? You told me you didn’t… love me. You said it, and I get it…”

“I do love you.”

“Ah yeah I know, but ‘Not like that’,” the Valkyrie huffed.

“No, I do love you, Tamsin.”

The blonde raised her head to look straight in the Succubus’s brown eyes. “What is it you want from me, Bo? How do you expect me to believe you? I don’t think you get what ‘Love’ really means. It is not something that magically appears because you realize that you’re alone and you just need some fucking attention. It is not something that grows, in only... what? Less than 24 hours, is that right? Love is not something that you find at every corner Bo, wake up! So don’t bullshit me and stop playing with me!” she finished, raising her voice in anger.

“I’m not lying!” Bo responded in an equally loud tone. She quickly lowered her head and took a deep breath to regain her composure before looking at the blonde again. “I... I have been having feelings for you since that Yule party, Tamsin.”

The blonde just stared at her, confusion written on her face. “Oh, really? Then why didn’t you tell me? Because if I remember correctly, you never showed me any sign of care and love since that night. Nothing changed between us, you were still hoping that Lauren would fall in your arms again and that you would live an awesome life together, am I right? Or did someone erase my memories and I don’t remember how things were? Or maybe I’m just fucking blind, deaf and crazy?” She stopped when she saw the hurt look in the brunette’s eyes again, tears threatening to fall on her beautiful cheeks. She sighed. “If this is the truth Bo, why didn’t you tell me anything sooner? Just tell me because I don’t understand a fucking thing right now,” she ended in a sad, defeated voice.

“I was scared. I was so scared of telling you, ok? I didn’t want to be rejected. Not again. I was just too weak and I’m sorry because now I know that I should have told you the very moment I started feeling this way, when I felt this spark between us. I am so sorry, you have to believe me, please. You just were so different that night, and I was so happy to see you, that I never wanted you to change anything, in any way! I was afraid that you would close up again and leave us, leave me. I was so damn selfish…” Bo replied unable to hold back the tears that now flooded freely on her beautiful and tired face.

Tamsin was having a hard time holding back her tears as well, she wanted to take the Succubus in her arms and reassure her. She wanted to kiss her and hold her tight, to tell her that everything would be alright. But she couldn’t. Not yet at least, as she was still suffering from the heartbreak the Succubus had caused her. She had given the brunette her love, her trust and the other woman had completely ignored her. How was she supposed to trust her again?

“Explain to me, Bo. I want to believe you, I do. But I just… Please, explain to me, tell me what makes me different than all the others? Dyson, and Lauren and… Why wouldn’t I be just another lover to you, why would I be special?” Tamsin asked, pleadingly. She needed to know if Bo really loved her, the same way that she loved the Succubus, with everything that she was. She needed to know if she could trust Bo again, if she was worth another chance.

“You’re nothing like them, Tamsin. You are you, you are unique. I have never met anyone like you. Every time I look at you, I have butterflies in my stomach. Every time I talk to you, I feel nervous because I’m always afraid to say the wrong thing, to make a bad joke, to mess up and lose you. You make me feel loved, Tamsin. You’re the only one that I can trust. You're also the only one I can talk with, without holding back, I feel good with you. You have the power to make me smile, Valkyrie, and laugh even if the world is falling apart around me. When you’re here, I feel safe, I feel complete,” the brunette explained, putting every ounce of her feelings and her heart in her words.

Anyone who would have heard and seen her would have agreed on one thing: Bo was sincere. For the first time in her life, she was completely honest. Honest towards Tamsin but also with herself. She was done hiding her feelings. She was done lying and being weak and living for others. And she finally felt relieved. It felt so good to finally get out in the open all the things that had been weighing hard on her heart and mind for a long time.

Silence fell over the room. It wasn’t an uncomfortable and awkward silence like it had happened before. It was a much needed silence. Bo needed these moments to regain a hold on her emotions, while Tamsin also needed them to process everything the other woman had just said to her.

After another long minute, the brunette spoke up again. “I know that I don’t deserve you now, Tamsin. I am not worthy of you. I failed you, I hurt you. I just wanted you to know the truth, I owed you that. And I am not asking for your forgiveness, because I’m pretty sure that I don’t deserve it. Just… Know that I am sorry, burying my feelings for you was probably the biggest mistake I have ever made in my entire life. It looks like no matter how hard I try, someone always ends up hurt. And I am so sorry it was you, Tamsin.” 

It’s when she finally looked up at the Valkyrie that she saw how much the confession had affected her. The blonde had lowered her head to hide the precious tears rolling down her cheeks while cramping up the bottom of her shirt in her shaky hands.

Bo waited for a few minutes, to give her time to think, and eventually got up and moved in front of Tamsin. 

“Now you know everything, and I will answer truthfully every question that you might have, I won’t hide a single thing from you any longer. I’m tired of that. I’ve laid all my cards on the table, Tamsin, and the next move is up to you. I want you to know that no matter what you decide, I will be okay with it. Even if you decide to never see me again, even if I have to suffer by watching you leave, I won’t try to convince you to change your mind. I’ve done enough. Goodnight, Tamsin,” the brunette finally said tiredly with a small smile before turning around to go downstairs.

“Wait, Bo,” Tamsin whispered, making Bo stop right away. She turned around again to look at the blonde Fae who was still on her bed.

“You’re right. You hurt me. You broke my heart, and I would probably be the most stupid person in the world if I decided to forgive you and forget everything that you’ve done to me. I just can’t do that,” she said squarely. “But I hear you. I heard all that you’ve said to me tonight, and thank you for being honest with me. I really appreciate that.” She stopped to wipe out her tears before continuing. “I love you, Bo. And I will always love you. My heart chose you, you and no one else. I’m tied to you. Nothing will change that. But now... I-I need time. If you really love me like you say you do, then give me some time, time to think and to be sure that we are on the same page. If you’re okay with it, then let’s try this all over again, and take things slow... okay?”

A huge and sincere smile of relief appeared on Bo’s face as soon as she heard the blonde’s words. The Valkyrie didn’t plan on leaving. She wanted to be friends with her and to give her, give them, a chance to work things out. The Succubus had never imagined having another chance to fix things between them. ‘Damn she is incredible. I love her’ she thought.

“I am more than okay with it. I won’t disappoint you again, Tamsin. Thank you for giving me another chance.”

The Valkyrie only nodded in response and the brunette started walking toward the door but was interrupted again.

“Where are you going?” the injured woman asked suddenly.

“Well, I’m going downstairs, sleep on the couch.”

“Ugh seriously? Just come back here, you know it is impossible to sleep on this couch unless, one: your name is Kenzi, and two: you’re completely drunk. And that is not your case.”

“I thought you wanted to take things slow, you know, needed your space and all…”

“Come on, we’re just going to sleep and this bed is large enough for the two of us without even touching each other. Plus, look at you, you really need to rest, and that won’t be possible on that thing you call a couch.”

Bo just smiled at how adorable Tamsin was being and approached the bed again, knowing that there was no chance the stubborn woman would let her sleep anywhere else than beside her now. She took off her shoes and lay down beside the blonde.

They just stared at each other, none of them wanting to close her eyes. 

“Isn’t it better than sleeping on that wooden plank downstairs?”

“Yes it is,” the Succubus replied softly, a small smile still on her lips.

“Good night, Bo.”

“Good night, Tamsin.”

With that they both closed their eyes laxed and comfortable in each other’s company.

As the brunette was starting to fall asleep she heard the other woman wincing while stirring uncomfortably beside her.

“You okay?” she asked in a worried voice.

“I’m fine,” Tamsin replied unconvincingly. “Go back to sleep.”

“You don’t have to be tough all the time, you know?”

Tamsin sighed loudly before responding, “Between you and me, it hurts like a bitch.”

“I can help with that,” the brunette replied, moving her hand over Tamsin’s and began sending waves of charm to offer some relief to the woman she loved.

“Stop that Bo,” the Valkyrie said sternly.

The brunette quickly withdrew her hand but the blonde held it in hers.

“It’s not that. Just keep your strength, you more than need it. I saw how tired you look, I know you haven’t been feeding, and don’t even try to deny it.”

“Sorry,” Bo replied guiltily.

Tamsin huffed. “Stupid Succubi,” she murmured before drifting off to sleep, still gripping Bo’s hand in hers.

Bo smiled to herself and fell asleep a few minutes after the other woman.

Tomorrow was going to be another day.


	7. Chapter 7

 

     “What the heck?!” was the first thing Bo heard when she woke up. Startled, she quickly opened her eyes to identify the source of that angry whisper but was met with a shock of blond hair right in front of her face.

 

 

 

She blinked rapidly until she realized that she was obviously cuddling the beautiful Valkyrie next to her, even though she had tried to keep her distance the night before. Her head was resting delicately on Tamsin’s shoulder and one of her hands was laying across her stomach. She could feel the blonde’s arm holding her around her back and it made her smile even more.

 

 

 

She composed herself rather quickly and moved away from the blonde in a second, after hearing someone clearing their throat. The sudden movement caused Tamsin to groan in her sleep from the sudden lack of contact. Bo’s brown eyes landed on the short woman standing next to her bed, who was staring at her with wide eyes, bowl of cereals in her hands.

 

 

 

“Kenzi? What are you doing here?” Bo groaned, still half asleep.

 

 

 

“Hmm excuse me, what are YOU doing here Bobo?!” Kenzi whispered angrily at her best friend.

 

 

 

“What? I was sleeping, and now I am not, thanks to you by the way,” the Succubus shot back, lowering her voice so as not to wake up the Nordic blonde beside of her.

 

 

 

“Oh ‘sleeping’ yeah,” she said mockingly. “I thought you told me you were giving her the time and SPACE she needed! Not that you were going to jump on her and cuddle her the entire night!”

 

 

 

“What?! No no no calm down Kenzi! Come on, I’m going to explain everything but just...,” she pointed at the asleep Valkyrie with her hands. “Not here, alright? Let’s go downstairs before we wake her up,” the brunette said, getting up and putting on her favorite kimono.

 

 

 

“You better have a very good explanation woman!” the little human replied, following the brunette in the kitchen

 

 

 

Bo began making coffee for them and Kenzi jumped up to sit on the counter.

 

 

 

“Soooo?” Kenzi hurried her.

 

 

 

“So she woke up in the middle of the night, Kenz.”

 

 

 

“And? How was she? Did she say something?” she asked frantically.

 

 

 

“She was good, well, considering everything that happened, of course. And actually, yes we talked,” the succubus finished with a small smile remembering how she had fallen asleep just a few hours earlier, the Valkyrie’s hand holding hers.

 

 

 

“Judging by your current mood and that big gross smile covering your face I guess it went pretty well, am I right?” the black-haired woman deduced, smiling back at her best friend.

 

 

 

“Yes it went pretty well, much better than I expected, I have to admit,” Bo finished with a chuckle.

 

 

 

“Thank god, I really wouldn’t like spending my time comforting you ever again, bestie! Seriously though, did you get to say whatever you wanted to say to her?”

 

 

 

“I did. I said all I wanted to her. First she was kinda mad at me which is absolutely understandable. And then I told her everything, like really everything Kenzi. I was honest with her, I was so tired of hiding and lying, you know? That’s when I saw how much it was affecting her, and she believed me. She knew I was saying the truth so she agreed to give me another chance. A brand new start between us,” Bo explained calmly.

 

 

 

“Really? So no shitstorm? Wow I underestimated her. Wait... Are you like together, together?” Kenzi asked with wide eyes, her voice a higher pitch with excitement.

 

 

 

“No, we are not together together as a couple! Well, not for the moment. We’re starting all over again and we’re taking things slow, we’ll see what happens in time,” the Succubus replied, laughing lightly at her best friend’s reaction.

 

 

 

“Okay so let me get this clear. You two are obviously attracted to each other, and you two want to be together but you two are not together. Is that... right?” the goth girl asked skeptically.

 

 

 

“Well, when you put it like that it sounds dumb,” the brunette said with a chuckle. “But she needs time to process all of this, okay? I also need time. And you were the one who told me to give her the time and space she needed, if I remember correctly!” Bo finished, handing a cup of coffee to the other woman.

 

 

 

“I may have said that, yes. Now seriously though, I am so happy for you! And I knew she would give you a chance, that girl has a serious crush on you!” Kenzi replied with a sincere smile. “Just try to not screw it up this time,” she teased the brunette with a smirk while getting off the counter to go drink her coffee on the couch.

 

 

 

“Oh thank you very much for having faith in me and my relationships Kenzi, I appreciate it!”

 

 

 

“You’re welcome Bobolicious!” the black-haired woman waved back at her. “I am always happy to help all the sad and desperate people in need,” she said sarcastically.

 

 

 

Bo let out an offended laugh and grabbed two cups of coffee before heading back upstairs to check on her favorite person.

 

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

 

     When she got back to her bedroom, she saw that Tamsin was still fast asleep, her chest rising and falling peacefully with every breath. The blonde was healing well, Bo could tell just by looking at the bruises and cuts on her face that already seemed to be better than the day before.

 

 

 

She smiled softly at how flawless the Valkyrie looked, even asleep like this. She moved as quietly as she could so as not to wake up the other woman, in case Valkyries had a light sleep. However she failed at keeping quiet just when she was about to put down the second cup of coffee on the nightstand, as a wave of dizziness overwhelmed her. She dropped one of the cups she was holding in order to avoid falling, and she caught herself on the bed frame. The mug fell down on the wooden floor, spilling out coffee everywhere.

 

 

 

The sound of the cup crashing on the floor woke the blonde up in an instant, her eyes trying to identify the source of the noises and eventually settling down on the brunette who was still holding herself on the bed frame. She could see that the Succubus was having a hard time, and seeing Bo this weak was so unusual that it immediately worried her.

 

 

 

“Bo are you okay?” she asked, instantly very awake. She moved from her laying position to sit up on the bed and succeeded even though her body was sending her all alarm signals it could have possibly sent her. But she ignored every signal at once, from every cracked rib she had, to all the cuts and bruises covering her entire body. Everything, to move closer to her warrior.

 

 

 

The brunette still had her eyes closed, trying to erase that feeling of dizziness by concentrating on taking deep breaths. When, after what felt like hours, she finally felt like she was a bit better, she opened her eyes and let go of the bedpost, before turning her head to look at the blonde who was staring at her worriedly.

 

 

 

Even though Bo knew Tamsin was trying to keep her feelings hidden, she could easily read the Valkrie and she realized that her behavior just then had scared the blonde Fae.

 

 

 

“I’m sorry I didn’t mean to wake you up, I tried to be quiet actually but…” she replied, lowering her head again to look at the mess at her feet.

 

 

 

“Are you okay?” Tamsin interrupted her.

 

 

 

“Yes yes I’m fine, I’m just very clumsy apparently.”

 

 

 

“Cut the shit Bo, you said you’ll be honest with me. I know you’re weak, I can see it and I can feel it,” the blonde said sternly.

 

 

 

“I… I’m sorry, I haven’t been feeding since... since too long I guess.”

 

 

 

“Why didn’t you?” Tamsin asked.

 

 

 

“Honestly, I… After you were injured, I just didn’t think about that. The only thing I could think of was to watch over you and not leave your side in case you would wake up. I wanted... No, I needed to be there for you, for once,” Bo replied in a smooth voice while sitting down next to Tamsin, still not facing her.

 

 

 

Neither of them spoke for a few moments after that. Bo was in a way a little ‘ashamed’ for what she had just said. She had never opened up to anyone like this before. But she knew it was necessary, she had to make some effort in order to prove to Tamsin that she was honest, and in order to make their relationship work. It was a necessary evil. She knew it.

 

 

 

During those seconds of silence, the blonde just looked at the brunette’s back and couldn’t help but feel a little happy. Happy to hear that Bo watched over her the entire time she had been unconscious. And she also felt a little proud. Proud to see that Bo was making real efforts to make things work and not let this second chance between them go to waste.

 

 

 

“But why didn’t you go out and feed this morning? You knew I was okay, so why are you still low on Chi?”

 

 

 

Bo finally turned around to face the other woman.

 

 

 

“Are you kidding me? You just gave me a second chance like literally just a few hours ago. You made me stay there, sleep in the same bed with you for the rest of the night and you honestly expected me to go away when you were sleeping so I could go out and feed off of some random person?” she replied with a laugh.

 

 

 

A small chuckle escaped the blonde’s lips when noticing the shocked look of incomprehension on Bo’s face.

 

 

 

“I don’t remember asking you to die for me either, you dumbass,” she said sarcastically. “Bo, you’re a Succubus and by definition you have to feed alright? I understand why you didn’t earlier, I do. But now you have no choice, so move your ass and go feed on someone before you pass out from exhaustion. Or do you want me to kick your ass again for being stupid and refusing Chi?” she finished with a smirk, remembering how she had to be harsh with Bo that time she had been stabbed and refused to feed on anyone.

 

 

 

“I just can’t, not right now. I am seriously not in the mood for that, Tamsin.”

 

 

 

“Then feed off of me,” the blonde simply stated.

 

 

 

“What?! Are you kidding me?” Bo asked in a complete shock, not believing what the other woman had just said.

 

 

 

“Oh don’t look so offended. The ‘Chosen one’ is not in the ‘mood’ for feeding on some random stranger? Then go ahead, feed off of me,” she replied mockingly.

 

 

 

“Tamsin I can’t feed off of you, you’re still healing and that would be unfair to you after everything that you’ve been…”

 

 

 

“Just a snack until you can feed ‘correctly’ on someone else after. Come on, you won’t need much and I’m not made of glass. And it is just a kiss, so you can feed and recharge your batteries a little, alright? Nothing more,” the Valkyrie explained looking directly in her lover’s beautiful brown eyes.

 

 

 

She could see the hesitation written all over the brunette’s face. It wasn’t how Tamsin had imagined things when she had told Bo that they would take things slowly but right now, it was different. Somehow, all the tiredness, the exhaustion, the feeling of hunger that Bo was experiencing, she could feel them inside her, and all she knew was that she needed to help the Succubus feel better.

 

 

 

“You won’t hurt me, I promise,” she whispered, still staring at the woman in front of her. She looked so helpless and vulnerable. She hoped her words would comfort Bo even a little.

 

 

 

And it worked, as Bo nodded lightly and her eyes turned that wonderful electric blue when her gaze fell on the blonde’s lips. Tamsin couldn’t hide the little smirk that appeared on her lips in that moment, and she closed her eyes and let the brunette finally close the gap between them.

 

 

 

Bo was nervous, she really didn’t want to hurt her Valkyrie. But her words and the look in her eyes convinced her. When their lips touched, Bo felt like in was the fourth of July in her stomach. A wave of calm surrounded her and she almost instantly forgot all her fears and worries.

 

 

 

 _‘Ugh why do I have to feed? I just want to stay here kissing her the whole day,’ t_ he Succubus thought while gently kissing the Valkyrie’s soft lips.

 

 

 

She really had to struggle with herself a bit before being able to pull away a little and start feeding. As the blue Chi flooded into her, Bo felt and incredible rush and was entirely overwhelmed by the intensity of the energy and strength flowing inside her. She hadn’t felt this way in a very long time and it was so strong and so unexpected that it was almost too much.

 

 

 

She hurriedly broke contact and immediately started coughing from the excess of Chi.

 

 

 

“Bo, you okay?” the Valkyrie asked, confused by what was happening. She barely had had the time to register that the brunette was feeding before she had pulled away and started coughing. “You really didn’t take much…”

 

 

 

“It’s your Chi. I know you have one of the most powerful Chi I ever tasted but it has never been THAT powerful, Tamsin. It’s like… like something has changed.”

 

 

 

Tamsin’s expression went blank the moment she heard Bo’s words. She knew very well why her Chi tasted differently. _‘Has it started? Am I already bonding to her?_

 

_’_

 

The blonde had time to think about it, yes. But now that the bond was happening, she couldn’t believe that this was actually real.

 

 

 

 _‘From the moment I said ‘I love you’ to her, it started,’_ the blonde thought.

 

 

Bo stared at the woman who, with her frowned eyebrow, looked deep in thoughts. She could see that something was troubling her, something that must have something to do with her Chi. Bo didn’t know why but something naturally and immediately clicked in her mind.

 

 

 

“Tamsin, what is the bond?”


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

 

**_“Tamsin, what is the bond?”_ **

****

Bo’s question caused Tamsin to stop breathing momentarily. Her heart started beating faster and she knew neither what to say nor where to point her gaze.

 

 

Realizing that her question embarrassed the Valkyrie, Bo quickly added: “Look, Tamsin, it’s okay if you don’t want to talk about it, I didn’t want to make you feel uncomfortable, I shouldn’t have asked. I’m...”

 

“It’s just that I don’t even know how to answer that question, Bo,” the blonde cut her off, looking like she was lost in thoughts.

 

The brunette examined the other woman’s pensive face for a second. “How’s that?” she finally asked very calmly, as if she was afraid she might scare the Valkyrie.

 

The blonde turned her head to look at the Succubus and sighed. “I guess you’ll learn about it one day or another so I’d rather be the one to tell you about it now.” She paused a second before continuing. “A Valkyrie’s bond is… is like a legend to Valkyries, literally a myth to us, a mystery if you prefer.” She stopped again, wondering what to say next.

 

Bo had many more questions in her head that she wanted to ask but did not say anything, so as not to put any pressure on the other woman and allow her to explain herself. Tamsin took a deep breath and spoke again.

 

“You know that we, Valkyries, are created for war. We follow orders, we lead armies, we fight, we kill, and we do all of that over and over again. But sometimes… Rarely, well apparently, once in her many lives, a Valkyrie can find someone, a warrior more precisely, and bond with her or him,” she finished, letting out a breath she didn’t know she was holding since she had started speaking about the subject.

 

“How does it work? I mean how can you bond with this person? Is there a ceremony to do or something,” the brunette asked, unable to stay silent anymore.

 

Tamsin let out a chuckle. “No, it’s not like a wedding or anything like that. A Valkyrie doesn’t choose who she bonds with... It just happens like that. However, the bond practically never happens, because the connection between the two has to be incredibly strong. The Valkyrie has to...” She cleared her throat. “Hmm, she... she has to be in love with the warrior.”

 

Silence filled the room. Bo suddenly couldn’t talk. All the questions in her head suddenly disappeared only to be replaced by more. _‘Falling in love is rare for them but… but Tamsin said she was in love with me... What does it mean?’_

 

Seeing that Bo wasn’t going to speak, the blonde decided to explain more.

 

“This is why the bond is a simple legend, because Valkyries… we see love as a weakness so we never get too close to anyone, ever.” The blonde gulped and added in a whisper that Bo almost didn’t catch, “At least, that’s what we’re supposed to do.”

 

Bo felt terribly nervous about her next question and for a few seconds, she wondered if she should ask it. Eventually she decided she had to if she ever wanted to settle things between her and the other Fae.

 

“I… um I have a question but if you don’t want to answer, I’ll understand, okay?”

 

Tamsin frowned but nodded.

 

“Okay so… If a Valkyrie has to fall in love in order to bond with the... warrior... um... Does this mean  that... you bonded with me? I mean, you did tell me you loved me a few days ago so, did you bond with me?”

 

Bo had never felt so nervous in her entire life. She was so afraid of the way Tamsin might react, as she knew very well that the other woman wasn’t the type of person to speak openly about herself and even less about her feelings. Bo was terrified that the Valkyrie might run away again and leave her, all alone, the very moment she needed her the most. The moment when she finally realized what she wanted in her life. Tamsin. She wanted Tamsin, she wanted to be with her, to talk to her, to spend time with her. She couldn’t lose the Valkyrie, she was not ready to let her go, not without trying everything in her power.

 

After what felt like an eternity to Bo, the blonde finally answered.

 

“Honestly, I have no idea. I don’t know how this bonding thing works. What does it mean? What does it imply? What are the consequences? No one really knows. Apparently if a warrior and a Valkyrie bond together, they become more powerful than any other Fae. However, like I said, the bond is a legend, I’ve never met anyone who actually bonded with a warrior, all I’ve heard is rumors. Nothing concrete. So, I don’t know. The only thing I know is that when a Valkyrie starts bonding to someone, it’s unstoppable. But, if what I’ve heard is true, the bond is a one-way street, in that the warrior can choose if they want to be with the Valkyrie or not. That’s his or her choice to make. But when the warrior has chosen, there’s no turning back.”

 

“Wow that seems like a huge thing, right?” the brunette responded, totally amazed and impressed by the entire story she had just heard.

 

“It is indeed,” the Valkyrie said seriously, hoping that would put an end to the intense talk.

 

The succubus however couldn’t stop replaying in her head everything that had been said, and a question popped up in her mind all of a sudden.

 

“What happens to the Valkyrie if the warrior declines the bond? Can that just stop the process?” she wondered.

 

“No, like I said, there’s no turning back, no one and nothing can stop the bonding process.”

 

“So what happens to the Valkyrie?”

 

“Well, she is still bonded to the warrior, even if the bond isn’t complete so… I guess she has to live the rest of her life in love but alone.”

 

“What? But that’s awful! No one can live like that, and no one should! Tamsin, how can we know if you started bonding with me? What if when I rejected you I’ve cursed you or something? What are we gonna do if…”

 

“Whoa calm down, I’m here, alright? I don’t know if I started bonding with you, so let’s just live our lives, and enjoy our fresh start without thinking anymore about this stupid creepy legend, okay?,” she finished gently, trying to calm down an increasingly panicked Bo. She didn’t even notice that she had unconsciously placed her hand on Bo’s knee when trying to reassure her.

 

She froze when she realized her position and tried to quickly withdraw her hand in an attempt to avoid an awkward situation but was stopped by Bo delicately laying her own hand over hers. The blonde blushed slightly and they both looked at each other before the brunette smiled gently and said, “Thank you. For everything. I’m glad you told me about what I have to admit is a pretty crazy legend.”

 

They both let out a chuckle.

 

“You’re welcome,” Tamsin replied softly.

 

When their hand holding became a little too weird, Bo cleared her throat and got up from the bed, causing Tamsin to immediately miss the contact.

 

“I think someone is very impatient to see you,” the Succubus changed the subject.

 

“Who?” the blonde asked intrigued.

 

“Oh you know, just a tiny little Russian who is probably eating and drinking everything she can find in the kitchen as we speak.”

 

“Kenzi’s here? Seriously?”

 

“You sound surprised,” the brunette let out a chuckle. “Actually she left Spain as soon as I called her, after you left the clubhouse. She was worried, and she cares about you more than you know,” Bo explained with a smile.

 

Tamsin didn’t say anything and just smiled back. It was crazy how much she could love this human, she was definitely unique.

 

***

 

“So where is that annoying human?” Kenzi suddenly heard from downstairs. She jumped a little, surprised, and turned her head only to see her favorite Valkyrie descending the stairs. She was still feeble and moving with difficulty, immediately followed by Bo who was obviously worried that Tamsin might take a tumble.

 

 

The little goth got up from the couch and went to hug the person she considered her best friend. She wanted to hug her tightly but was careful not to hurt the blonde by pressing on her bruises.

 

“What are you doing up? Last time I checked on you, you looked awful,” she said sarcastically.

 

“I tried to make her stay in bed but she’s too stubborn to listen!,” Bo chimed in.

 

“That’s because I am not an invalid, thank you very much! And it’s nice to see you too, Kenz,” she laughed.

 

“Good to see you too, blondie. I missed you,” Kenzi responded sincerely and hugged her again.

 

Knowing that the two needed to talk alone, Bo decided to excuse herself.

 

“I gotta go to the precinct and Dyson, I have to tell him that you are okay and apparently he needs me for a new case or something. I’ll be back in an hour or so, see you two later!” she said before grabbing her jacket and her car keys and ran out, leaving Kenzi and Tamsin alone to talk.

 

“So how are you doing T-sin?” the short brunette asked the Valkyrie as soon as she heard the door closing behind Bo.

 

“I’m good,” the Valkyrie replied lowering her eyes. Becoming increasingly aware of the little brunette’s accusing glare she looked up at her again and sighed. “Honestly Kenz, I’m good. The real question is what are you doing here? Has something happened in Spain or whatever?”

 

“Uh-uh, no way you can just change the subject like that! And I’m here for you, you idiot. I came as soon as Bo called me.”

 

Tamsin just frowned.

 

“She called me... after you... you ran away and she sounded pretty worried and devastated,” Kenzi continued, feeling her throat tightening instantly as she remembered how Bo’s words had impacted her.

 

Seeing how Kenzi suddenly looked sad even if she tried to hide it, only made Tamsin frown harder and wrap her arms around the other woman. Kenzi immediately returned the hug, and gripped the blonde as if she was afraid she could vanish at any moment.

 

“I’m sorry I scared you Kenz, I didn’t mean to,” Tamsin whispered in the brunette’s ear, before quickly pecking the top side of her _momz_ head.

 

After a minute of just enjoying each other’s presence, Kenzi finally ended the hug. “Hey it’s not your fault, but I’m so glad to see you.”

 

“I am too, Kenz,” she replied earnestly. Indeed, ever since Kenzi had gone to Spain, Tamsin felt as if a piece of her was missing. The two girls shared a special connection, something that the blonde had never encountered even after living her many lifetimes, and especially with a human. Kenzi was her best friend, her confidant, her drinking buddy, she made her feel safe and free at the same time. Tamsin was not ashamed to admit that the little brunette had changed her considerably. The blonde was finally able to enjoy life again, and to let herself feel all sorts of emotions, to feel love and care again. She owed Kenzi her life, she was thankful to have her, especially after the human took care of her and protected her after her rebirth.

 

Noticing how the Valkyrie seemed lost in her thoughts, looking almost sad, Kenzi tried to gain her attention. “Tamsin? Are you okay?” she asked quietly.

 

And that was all it took for Tamsin to finally let it all out. She looked up at the shorter woman and blinked a few times, trying to push back the tears that were now freely running down her cheeks. She has been holding back those tears since from the moment she woke up and now she needed to let them out. She felt safe with Kenzi and knew that she was probably the only person who would be able to comfort her, even if just a little.

 

“I told her, Kenz... I told her everything. I opened my heart for her! I shared my most intimate feelings with her. I told her that… that I loved her. I was so nervous but also so happy to finally tell her,” she cracked out a small sad smile. “I was so, so stupid Momz…. She broke me, she rejected me and it hurt me so bad... I could literally feel my heart breaking into thousands of pieces.”

 

The blonde was sobbing so hard that Kenzi thought her legs were about to give way, so she rushed to hug the Valkyrie again and support her.

 

Then she took the blonde’s face between her hands, softly caressing her cheeks before looking into her eyes and speaking firmly. “You are not stupid, Tamsin. You are the exact opposite. I’m proud of you, you hear me? I’m proud because you finally told her what you have been trying to keep buried inside you for months and months. You are one of the bravest people I’ve ever met.”

 

She took the Fae in her arms again and let her cry on her shoulder for what felt like hours, simply caressing her back and whispering soft words of comfort in her ear. She had never seen Tamsin like this, so broken. And it broke her too, but despite everything there was one thing she was absolutely sure of: “T-sin, everything is going to be okay.”

 


	9. Reawakening

In the afternoon, Tamsin was fast asleep on the couch, her head resting in Kenzi's lap. She had ended up like this at the end of a long heart-to-heart, during which the Valkyrie many a time found herself overly emotional and unable to hold back her tears. Not when her heart was in so much pain. Their talk gravitated solely around the blonde, her feelings, hopes and disillusions, and even touched on the Valkyrie bond at some point.

All that crying and feeling was too much for Tamsin. The disgusting, inedible food Kenzi tried to cook with whatever was left in the kitchen that was not yet stale or beyond its expiration date, only made things worse. But the sip of vodka the brunette had added to the mixture was enough for the tall and exhausted blonde to fall fast and deeply asleep.

On one hand, her body was feeling better - it was just a little sore now, thanks to her warrior DNA. On the other hand, her mind was still foggy, but certainly broken and needed time to heal. She would have to be patient in order to be okay.

Right now, the only person, family and friend she needed was by her side: Kenzi. Even if talking ranked rather close to the bottom of her list of favourite things, talking to the little goth was completely different. Every time Tamsin opened her heart to her, she was not disappointed. She always feels safe with Kenzi, there is no judging, no competition, nothing at all that could make her feel uncomfortable. And again, today she had felt safe and protected, able to open her heart one more time, to the one person who would support her and listen to her, no matter what.

She fell asleep in the comforting arms of the black-haired woman who was gently soothing her by running her fingers through her blonde hair. Kenzi was the only person who could do it without endangering her own life. About an hour later, Kenzi decided to take a nap herself, but first shot a text message to Bo, to ask if there was anything she could do to help with her new case.

\-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Her head was pounding and she was feeling tired and nauseous when she arrived at the precinct. Taking a new case and investigating was really the last thing Bo was in the mood for today. She almost regretted saying yes to Dyson's invitation to consult on this case and work with him. By now, it was already too late to go back. Plus, she really needed to stay away from the crackshack, so as to give Tamsin space to breathe and the opportunity to talk to Kenzi. She trusted Kenzi and knew that if someone was capable of comforting the Valkyrie, it was her best friend, without a shadow of a doubt. This case was the perfect opportunity to escape.

Walking into the building, she started realizing that a shower or a hot bath would have done her some good, and also to the people she was going to work with. 'Well it's too late now,' she told herself, rolling her eyes for not thinking about it before leaving the house.

She did not even have the time to take a deep breath and prepare herself for whatever Fae investigation would be waiting for her, when she heard a voice calling her.

"Hey Bo!"

The Succubus looked up to find where the sound was coming from and saw the Wolf waving at her.

"Hi Dyson," she replied while managing to plaster an almost real smile on her face, in an effort to hide her state of mind and the thoughts and feelings that were troubling her. She really did not have the energy to talk about what she was going through and to put up with Dyson's constant worrying about her.

"Well, it is nice of you to show up after like… 200 messages I left on your cell phone," he said ironically. Although he sensed Bo was not really in a mood for bad jokes, he continued. "Normally I wouldn't bother you with a case, really, but my dear and absolutely faithful partner didn't show up this morning and is still not answering my calls. She's probably drunk somewhere or in custody after getting into a bar fight or something. Anyway, yeah, I kinda need a little help. By the way, any chance you saw her today or last night at least?"

The Wolf gave her a curious look when Bo suddenly looked visibly embarrassed.

"Um…" She cleared her throat. "I'll explain it to you in my car," she finally answered in a stern voice, succeeding in masking the overwhelming feeling of guilt that had engulfed her for a second time after the incident with Tamsin.

Dyson did not dare to ask any questions. Judging by the tone of Bo's voice, keeping his mouth shut was the smart thing to do.

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The two Fae arrived at the crime scene in Bo's Camaro, about 40 minutes after leaving the compound. The atmosphere in the car had become unbearably tense after the Succubus explained briefly what had happened to Tamsin. The fact that she chose to speak as little as possible about it, instead of explaining in more detail, only made things more tense.

To his credit, Dyson did not ask a lot of questions except for wanting to know how his partner was, who had almost killed her, and how Bo was holding up.

This was what she loved so much about him. The Wolf had a knack for getting straight to the point, and always respected the Succubus's decisions and was mindful of her reactions. Moreover, she knew she could always count on him to help her find Stacy and protect Tamsin at all costs. He was loyal and she respected him deeply for that beautifully human quality.

Approaching the corpse lying onto the ground, Bo realised it had been a while since she had last seen such a crime scene. There was so much blood everywhere. Too much blood.

"Hello, I'm Detective Dyson and this is Bo, a consultant on this case. What do we have here?" the Wolf asked a cop who was already standing near the dead body to examine it.

"Hi…. A woman, around 30 years old, found dead here by a hiker. He's in the ambulance over there if you want to question him but I have to warn you, he's old and still shocked by what he discovered. Anyway, the cause of death seems to be those deep claw wounds you can see all over her torso, they go in pretty deep so she probably bled out. We don't have a lot to go on yet, but this is all the info we were able to gather since we got here. We're waiting for the ME to bag the corpse and take it in for an autopsy. That might help uncover more evidence and a lead."

"Thank you, officer," Bo replied as the cop walked away. "That poor girl… Left for dead here, by herself, in the middle of the forest and right at the entrance of a creepy small cave. Judging by the look on her face, she was certainly terrified. Looks almost like she was scared to death."

Dyson took in a lungful of air and started sniffing. "Whoever or whatever murdered her, wasn't human. I can tell she died pretty recently, around 8 to 10 hours max."

"Can you smell anything that could be useful for the investigation?" Bo asked.

The Wolf focused harder. "I don't recognise any smell except for blood. The victim was human," he said, kneeling down next to the lifeless body. "I've never seen a wound like this. I'll take a few pictures and show them to Trick tomorrow, maybe he'll recognize them and know what type of Fae they could come from," Dyson added, intrigued.

Bo took a closer look at the woman's torso. "What's this?" she frowned.

"What?"

"There's something inside the claw marks. It looks vicious and… green."

"Poison maybe?" the Wolf asked, a puzzled look on his face.

"Maybe. We'll know for sure after the autopsy. Where is that ME, by the way?" the Succubus snapped.

"I'm here, sorry," came the reply from somewhere behind her. A voice way too familiar to Bo. A voice she would be able to recognise amongst thousands of others. Nevertheless, a voice she did not want to hear today. She got up and turned around.

"What are you doing here, Lauren?"

"Whoa... What a charming welcome. I'm here because Dyson called me. I heard you needed a doctor qualified in Fae science," the blonde replied, saddened to see that Bo was still angry at her.

Sensing the tension between the two, Dyson excused himself and almost vanished into thin air.

"Look, Bo, I am really sorry for yesterday. I didn't mean to…"

"I don't want to talk about it," the Succubus cut her off. "Tamsin is all I can think about right now, and what happened to her and the hundreds of things that I could have done, that I could have said to avoid hurting her."

She stopped to take a deep breath and push back the tears that had started welling up in her eyes. "I am still angry at you, Lauren. But I don't want to think or talk about it for the moment. We will talk it out eventually, just not now or things will get worse between us. I don't want that neither, alright? So please, please, let it go and give me some space and time," she finished in a single breath, struggling to keep her emotions under lid and not really succeeding if the slight tremor in her voice was any indication. She took in a deep breath to steady herself and finally added more gently, "Can't we just focus on working together on this case?"

The blonde quickly acquiesced with a small nod of her head, pained to see her ex-girlfriend so devastated by the recent events. She knew that trying to explain herself and offering up her excuses would make things worse between them. So instead of saying anything else, she turned toward the victim, knelt down and switched to full-on doctor mode.

They kept their conversation professional from there on, discussing the investigation and eventually coming to the same conclusions as with Dyson earlier.

As the sun was beginning to set, the Succubus was feeling increasingly tired, exhausted even, and eager to see that long day coming to an end.

"Alright, I'll take the corpse to my lab, do the autopsy and analysis tomorrow morning. I'll get in touch if I find anything relevant," the doctor said, getting up.

"Thank you, Lauren. I'll go see Trick tomorrow with Bo as agreed," Dyson replied.

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

After saying goodbye to each other, Bo grabbed the case file from the Wolf, took a few pictures of the crime scene, and finally headed back to her car, this time alone.

From the moment she slammed the car door shut, and during the entire drive from the crime scene to the crackshack in her yellow Camaro, Bo's mind was preoccupied…. Mainly by Tamsin, just as it had been every minute that day, and just as it was every day, she realized. Except that this time, thinking about Tamsin brought along feelings of angst and guilt. She missed that time when everything was alright between them. When Tamsin was fine. When she was making her laugh. When she was making her smile. She even missed her unstoppable-and-sometimes-irksome constant sarcasm.

She opened the door to her home - unlocked as always - fighting a terrible headache, and fully feeling the weight of the last couple of days hanging heavily on her shoulders and mind. Nothing was okay; Tamsin; her 'friendship' with Lauren exhausted her; this new case bothered her and would surely turn into something unnecessarily complicated. All she wanted there and then was to lie down in her bed, relax and eventually get some much-needed sleep.

As she was placing the case files delicately on the kitchen counter, now wanting to aggravate her headache, she caught a glimpse of her Valkyrie fast asleep on the couch. She felt slightly relieved to see Tamsin looked less pale than when she had left for the precinct that morning, and that the bruises on her face were already beginning to fade.

Kenzi suddenly appeared at the bottom of the stairs, interrupting her train of thoughts. She had been so caught up by watching Tamsin sleep that she hadn't even heard her friend come down.

The little goth knew her best friend better than anyone so she could instantly see the anguish on Bo's features, on her furrowed brow and concerned look. "She'll be okay, Bo," she said gently. "Her heart is suffering for sure, I am not going to lie to you, but she'll be okay with time and…"

"And what?" the brunette interrupted, sadness in her voice and tears already welling up in her brown eyes.

"And you, Bo."

The succubus huffed.

"I think, no, I'm certain, that she'll be alright if she is with you. And vice-versa, BoB." Kenzi took a step closer to her best friend. "I did not understand everything she told me about that super-rare, weirdo Valkyrie bond thing, but I got that it's a pretty damn big deal, and she needs you."

Bo's head turned toward the girl the second she heard the words 'Valkyrie bond.' But she did not have the time, nor the willingness to ask any questions and while she hesitated, Kenzi started speaking again.

"Look, it's not my place to say anything about it. Just know that I'm not pressuring you or anything. I know you feel it yourself, Bo. The answer to all this crazy, pretty shitty, situation is in your heart, B. Whatever you are about to do, whatever your decision might be, you need to be extremely serious about it. Not kidding," she finished, delicately tapping two fingers on Bo's chest.

"I know, Kenz, thank you," the Succubus replied, taking the black-haired woman's hand in hers, as if she was looking for some comfort.

"I am your best friend,Bobolicious, and let's admit it, I'm a pretty exceptional friend, I know! But seriously Bo, I love you," Kenzi smiled.

"I love you too, Kenz," Bo answered with a teary-eyed smile.

"Aww, don't make me cry and ruin this beautiful face!" Kenzi joked before Bo grabbed her and pulled her into a tight hug. "BoBo, I can't breathe," she croaked in jest.

They laughed again, wholeheartedly, and Kenzi softly wiped off a tear that had started running down Bo's left cheek. The little human paused and checked the time.

"Alright, after all this blah-blah-blah, the Kenz is going to sleep. Plus, my skin needs some rest. You don't get to be magnificent at all times by doing nothing."

Bo's wide smile and soft chuckle when hearing Kenzi's words warm the little Russian's heard. 'There you are,' she thought to herself.

"Do you want me to stay here and take care of Tamtam?"

"No, I got her. Thank you, though. You're the best."

"Alright, alright, bye-bye Succulicious, I am going now or you're really gonna make me cry!" she shouted back as she was already halfway up the stairs and outside of Bo's visual range. "Oh and just FYI," she continued just as loudly, "I love coffee and pancakes with a LOT of maple syrup on them in the morning! And also…"

"I think I got the message, roommate!" Bo yelled back.

"Yasss! Love you, g'night!" Kenzi replied quickly and finally entered her bedroom, feeling very proud of herself.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Bo spent at least half an hour cleaning the kitchen and getting her things in order, as she found that this always helped clear her mind.

Suddenly, she realized she couldn't hear Tamsin's light snores any longer. Instead, she heard the blonde stirring on the couch. She approached her silently to check if she was still asleep and couldn't help but smile at how cute the Valkyrie looked, rubbing her eyes and squinting, although there was hardly any light in the room. Bo cleared her throat to let Tamsin know she was right next to her.

"Sorry... I didn't mean to wake you up."

"It's okay, it's not like I haven't heard you breaking the dishes a few minutes ago," Tamsin replied ironically.

Bo smiled even wider, glad to note the blonde hadn't lost her sense of humor.

"I wasn't 'breaking the dishes,' I was washing them, and I'm not surprised you did not recognize that particular sound. You know, cleaning? Does that ring any bells? No?"

The Valkyrie pretended to think really hard for a few moments.

"Never heard of that! Sorry, I guess," she smirked. She rubbed her neck and shoulders before she continued. "Damn, this couch is a fucking nightmare. How can we even sit on this piece of shit?" she grumbled.

Bo huffed. "Come on, go upstairs. Take my bed and I'll take the evil couch tonight," she replied.

"Is that an order?" the blonde asked in a sarcastic tone. She only gave Bo a short moment to blush slightly and clear her throat, before adding, "Seriously, don't be stupid, we can do the same as last night if that's okay with you? I think we can manage, your bed is big enough for at least four people." She made a brief pause again. "Unless you were counting on attacking my irresistible body this night," she ended with a smirk. She really enjoyed teasing Bo, watching the waves of different emotions washing over the Succubus's face when she had mentioned sharing a bed.

"Happy to see your sarcasm is fully back. I missed that, Valkyrie. I was afraid you wouldn't annoy me anymore with your bad jokes," Bo replied with a smirk of her own, an unspoken challenge to the other Fae.

"Me?! Bad jokes?!" the blonde asked in a fake surprised tone. She placed her hands over her heart as if she had been stabbed through it. "Ouch, your cruel, deceitful words have hurt my ego! And for the info, my jokes are AWE-SOME."

Bo laughed. "Come on, Mrs. O'Brien, let's go to bed. And yes, I'm okay with sleeping next to you, blondie. I am not a perv, thank you very much!"

In reply, Tamsin gave a genuine smile. A smile to this woman who made her laugh, who made her cry, who kept her heart beating, who had shattered her heart in a thousand pieces.

That night, Bo fell asleep replaying Kenzi's words in her head, over and over again. 'She'll be okay, Bo. She'll be alright if she is with you.'

Even if she knew everything was not going to be okay tomorrow, nor the day after, she knew for certain that one day, her roommate's words would turn out to be true.

For the first time those last few days, Bo truly believed in those words, in happiness. She had hope. She and Tamsin had made progress that night, she was certain of it. The next day would be even better.

She would make absolutely everything in her power to fix the the consequences of her mistakes.

She would work hard for Tamsin's happiness.

She would give her the love she deserves.

She would be the person Tamsin needs in her life.

She would not let her go a second time. Never again.


	10. Getting back up

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All thanks to Alecs, my dedicated editor.

 

            She was woken up by the phone buzzing on the nightstand. With a groan, her hand shot out automatically to grab the vibrating object. Tired brown eyes opened to see a text message from Dyson.

 

_“Meet me at the Dal as soon as you can. We have the autopsy results and we are trying to determine what sort of fae is our killer. P.S.: I got coffee waiting for you.”_

 

With another groan, she let herself fall back against the mattress. She was feeling considerably better after a pretty good sleep, as if Tamsin had a soothing effect on her.

 

Tamsin.

 

Slowly, she turned around, a feeling of awe overcoming her when her eyes fell on the Valkyrie’s perfect features. The blonde was fast asleep and Bo definitely didn’t have the heart to wake her up. She knew that Tamsin would be pissed at being left out of the investigation, but she would just have to get over it.

 

* * *

 

            When Tamsin woke up, she instinctively reached for Bo, wishing to feel the warmth of the dark-haired fae she was so head over heels for. That same warmth that had lulled her to sleep the night before. Instead, she felt nothing but the cold of the sheets beside her. A little upset and disappointed to wake up without Bo next to her, she opened her eyes and stretched her arms, the tips of her fingers running into a small piece of paper. Intrigued, she sat up, rubbed her eyes, and grabbed the piece of paper to read it.

 

_“Hey sleepyhead,_

_Hope you feel better today after a good sleep._

_Kenzi and I went to see Trick about the new case I started yesterday. Dyson and Lauren will be there._

_Hear me Valkyrie, there is no way you are coming to work this case with us. You need to rest, even if you feel ‘fiiiiiiine’ now. Plus, Dyson told me you are not allowed to come to the precinct for an ENTIRE week._

_Anyway, breakfast is ready for you downstairs - eggs, bacon and everything. Hope you like it._

_I’ll try not to come home late._

_See you soon,_

_Bo_

_P.S.: Kenzi tells me to tell you that she will cut your hair off and make voodoo dolls with it if you do not behave. Her words, not mine!”_

The Valkyrie smiled at how gentle and thoughtful the Succubus was with her. Yet another reminder of why she had fallen in love with her in the first place: her humanity. Bo cared about each and every person around her. Granted, sometimes this could be a disadvantage because she would worry so much about others that she forgot to take care of herself first. But this was something innate to the Succubus, and Tamsin never even dreamed of ever trying to change this facet of her personality.

 

After lingering in bed a few more minutes, Tamsin decided to get up and jumped into the shower right away. That is when she realized she was definitely feeling better, the hot water not stinging her muscles anymore, all signs of previous injuries almost completely vanished. When she looked at herself in the mirror, it was like nothing happened. However, the night she got those wounds was still very much alive in her memory. Every detail of it. The pain, the fear, every punch or kick Stacy had administered, Bo’s and Acacia’s voices. Everything.

 

She knew she had to be careful. Stacy was like an annoying parasite that you could never get rid of for good. Tasmin was perfectly aware that sooner or later, she would have to deal with her. Until then, she would have to stay on her toes. Her “sister” was first and foremost a coward, so she would most likely strike when they least expected her to.

 

Tamsin finished getting ready, then wolfed down the breakfast left for her and found it utterly delicious, especially knowing that it was Bo who had made it for her.

 

After cleaning her dishes, she paused and took a look around her. Lost in thought, her mind again wandered toward Bo. Toward their weird and way too complicated relationship. Yes, she loved Bo, she even bonded to her. She was not in a position where she could choose whether or not she would like to share her life with the Succubus. She already did, literally.

 

The bond was something extremely rare for a Valkyrie, so much so that it was commonly thought to be nothing more than a legend. Love itself was a myth for Valkyries, as it was seen as a sign of weakness in their world. The bond was seen as such because it meant that Valkyries would love, protect, defend, and depend on their chosen one. The bond was a weakness for these warriors. It was like a curse because it meant they would always put their lovers first, before anything else, including themselves. Their chosen one’s happiness, health, needs and life were all that mattered to a bonded Valkyrie. And if they failed for whatever reason, if their loved one died, the Valkyrie would likely die too, broken-hearted and incapable of going on living without the person they had bonded their life with.

 

There were others, very few, who had possibly witnessed the Valkyrie bond, who believed that it was not at all a sign of weakness for these proud warriors. On the contrary, the bond would exponentially enhance their power. They believed that the bond would make Valkyries one of the most powerful fae species in the whole world. The warrior becoming one with her chosen one, sharing a unique and indescribable mental link.

 

The bond was unbreakable, powerful, exceptional, and infinite. There was no turning back. Once bonded, a Valkyrie and her chosen one would remain connected for all eternity.

 

Tamsin remembered the class they had about this in school. No teacher dared to say much about the bond, because everything about it was shrouded in mystery. No one could say for sure if it was a good thing or a bad thing, and other than a vague and widely incomplete definition, no teacher went into any details about what it meant, exactly, or how it manifested itself.

 

Thinking back to how her relationship with Bo had unfolded, Tamsin felt so confused. For the first time in her many lives she had fallen in love. When she had finally decided to open up her heart, she had been rejected. Recovery was a bitch, but she succeeded, Tamsin thought, and then she had to face the whole world yet again, all by herself. Everything had happened so fast that she didn’t have the time to truly process what she had been going through. How shaken up she was actually feeling.

 

The more she pondered, the more she questioned the position she was in. What was she still doing there? Why had she not taken some distance yet? How could she live her life in Bo’s house again like nothing happened? What could she do to clear up her mind?

 

Too many questions swarmed her mind all of a sudden, making it impossible to think rationally. All she knew was that she needed space, she needed time to herself in order to not make the same mistakes again.

 

She knew what she had to do and she knew this was the right decision. The Valkyrie hoped that Kenzi would understand. And above all, she really hoped that Bo would understand.

 

The blonde sent a quick text message to someone she was not in the habit of texting with, but it had to be done. She needed to get a place of her own as soon as possible. She waited for an answer for a few minutes. When she did get any response as quickly as she had hoped, she cursed under her breath, grabbed her jacket, and stormed out the door, heading to the Dal to join the others.

 

Kenzi would definitely be pissed off to see her at the bar, Tamsin was sure of that. However, the blonde simply could not stay at home and do nothing.

 

* * *

 

            “So that’s all we’ve got?” Bo sighed in frustration with having spent most of her morning working on a case that seemed to go nowhere. “Seriously?!”

 

They have been at the Dal the whole morning, hard at work on the case, but despite all their research, reading and brainstorming sessions, they just weren’t able to crack it.

 

“Bo, calm down, please. Getting angry will not help us solve this thing either,” Trick replied, trying to appease his granddaughter.

 

“Don’t tell me to calm down Trick, you know I am right. This case is bullshit – all this hard work and for what? We don’t even know for sure if it’s fae related. I mean, come on, maybe it was just another stupid girl who decided to take a walk in the woods, all by herself, all the way across town, and so far away from any sign of civilization, and ended up being killed by some wild animal or something because she entered its territory,” the brunette spat out in a single breath, angry to have wasted her time on nothing.

 

“Please, Bo, you don’t know what you’re saying. This was definitely fae. You saw that girl’s body, the claw marks, the mutilation. You saw the poison infecting her wounds,” Trick replied, trying his best to stay patient. “You know it was a fae murder,” he tried to reason with her.

 

She let out a frustrated sigh, trying to calm down. “Still, we cannot prove it and we definitely can’t identify what kind of fae did it. We looked literally everywhere, in every ancient book you got…”

 

“Some of them as ancient as you,” the words slipped out of Kenzi’s mouth, a little louder than she had intended. “No offense, your majesty, Mr. Blood King sir,” she added quickly and took another sip of her “unlimited tab” vodka glass pretending nothing had happened and trying to ignore the almost angry but mostly desperate and definitely-not-surprised look on Trick’s face.

 

The Succubus ignored her and continued, pointing at the crime scene photos displayed on the pool table. “All I’m saying is that it looks like this type of fae doesn’t exist.”

 

“I smelled it, Bo, it was fae,” Dyson interrupted from where he was leaning against the bar next to Lauren, who was remarkably quiet and making every effort not to look directly at the arguing fae, afraid it might get the already furious Succubus even more upset.

 

The brunette stopped and rubbed her eyes, feeling completely exhausted by the whole situation. After a few seconds and a few deep breaths, she realized she was handling this case wrong, despite the evidence before her. Rationally, she knew that she was only angry because she hadn’t been feeding well those past few days. Moreover, with everything that had happened, she was also sleep deprived, which definitely didn’t help.

 

All of a sudden, she became aware of something else inside her, a strong feeling like some kind of force pulling her toward Tamsin. She couldn’t explain how or why but she felt an overwhelming and overpowering need to see the Valkyrie. It felt like she could not bear being away from Tamsin. She had no control over it whatsoever, and with every minute that passed, the pull was getting stronger and stronger, taking over her thoughts and her feelings, until it was almost unbearable. She felt her eyes turning bright blue and quickly turned her head so that no one could see her face.

 

A few seconds later, the strange sensation was gone, as fast as it had appeared in the first place, leaving her feeling totally normal, as if nothing had happened. Somehow, she felt relieved of the burning anger inside of her. Before she could even begin to try and understand what had happened, she herd the door of the Dal opening, interrupting her train of thought.

 

“A Wendigo.”

 

Bo turned her head once again and her gaze landed on the exact person she wanted to see.

 

Tamsin looked beautiful and sexy as hell in her blue jeans that fit her so snugly. Her blonde hair was tied up in a bun, save for a single, unruly lock. The shape of her face, the color of her eyes, her piercing gaze, and her attitude… The Succubus loved it. Loved every single little thing about her.

 

“What? Do I have a pork rib wedged between my teeth?” Tamsin exclaimed feeling self-conscious as everybody in the room turned their gaze to her as soon as she got through the door, and seemed to be too stunned by her appearance to actually move or say anything. Bo was the first to react, taking a few determined steps toward the Valkyrie and stopping right in front of her. She could not help but lay a gentle hand on the blonde’s arm, as if to seek reassurance that it was really her.

 

“I thought I told you to stay home, did you not get my note?” the brunette asked softly.

 

Tamsin tried really hard to control herself and suppress the smile tugging at her lips when reading the word “home” spoken by her warrior.

 

“I’m not a weak kitten and leaving the house ain’t gonna kill me. Plus, I have a reputation to maintain, what would become of me if I just fell into domestic bliss and started listening to every single word coming out of your super hot Succubus mouth?” she replied with a wink.

 

“You would become a nice Valkyrie, for once?” Bo laughed timidly.

 

“Exactly. But docile, huh? No, thank you,” the blonde smirked.

 

The brunette finally took a step back and let go of the Valkyrie, making a mental note of how happy and complete she was feeling now that Tamsin was there.

 

Tamsin’s eyes landed on the little human who had been discreetly hiding behind her best friend the entire time, witnessing the entire scene with a big smile on her face. They just looked at each other briefly but to the blonde it meant the world. She could see how proud Kenzi was of her. How proud she was to see her here, to see her getting up, facing life, love and everything that came with it.

 

Dyson finally broke the silence before it became too awkward for everybody there. “Hmm. Good to see you back in shape, partner,” he offered, with a genuine smile.

 

“In a much better shape than you, wolfie,” the blonde grinned back. “Thanks,” she added in a gentler tone, knowing the man had meant every word he said.

 

After a few seconds of weird silence again, Lauren cleared her throat and spoke her very first words since she’d arrived. “Yeah, uh... Sorry to break the moment but maybe we should focus on the case? Tamsin, what were you saying?” She was deeply annoyed by the Valkyrie being the center of attention every time she was around.

 

Tamsin ignored her glare. “It could be a Wendigo, the type of fae you are all looking for. The M.O., the injury patterns, the claw marks and the poison -- every detail would make sense, if you think about it. Even the location where you found the body. Everything matches,” she explained.

 

“How do you know all this? You weren’t even at the crime scene with us,” Bo exclaimed. She did not doubt what the Valkyrie was saying, but was rather impressed with her knowledge and in awe of her confidence, like always.

 

“You forgot your files this morning, silly Succubus,” the blonde replied, rolling her eyes mockingly.

 

Kenzi laughed hard and Bo rolled her eyes at the mockery.

 

“Anyway, we have been going through every book Trick has here. I even went to the Dark library and did the same there. We have literally been through every possible book or parchment and I don’t recall reading anything about a Wendigo,” the doctor interrupted harshly, still annoyed with this new sense of intimate complicity between Bo and Tamsin.

 

“It’s because no one has ever seen a Wendigo. Not in centuries, maybe even millennia... Some believe it was just a legend, but most of us believe it’s actually an extinct species,” the Blood King cut in, not being fully able to contain his excitement about possibly dealing with one of the rarest fae in the world.

 

“But it is obvious though, right?” Tamsin asked, sharing the same excitement as Trick on that one.

 

“Now that you mentioned it, absolutely. I cannot believe the thought never crossed my mind before, it just seems so unreal!”

 

“You and me both know that nothing is impossible in this world, old man,” the Valkyrie smirked, earning herself a playful glare and a laugh from Trick.

 

“Okay, let’s say the murderer we are looking for is indeed a Wendigo. What do you know about it that could be useful to arrest this asshole?” Bo asked, feeling more than ready to finish this case.

 

“Well, as Trick said, the Wendigo is almost a legend. I have never seen one, nor one of their kills. I’ve only heard rumors… stories and nothing more,” the tall blonde responded honestly.

 

“At this point, it doesn’t matter if any of it has been proven to be true. It’s all we got right now, Tamsin, so go ahead,” Dyson added.

 

“Alright then. The Wendigo is basically a giant beast,” the Valkyrie started. “They’re extremely strong and said to be resistant to virtually any kind of weaponry or attack. I don’t know how to kill one or if they have any weak spots. What I do know is that, according to the stories, once you kill one you need to burn the body to make sure it stays dead. Also, they are said to be a little slower than the average fae, but that doesn’t mean you can let your guard down in a fight – if one of these nasty assholes gets near you it will literally break you into pieces and pick its teeth with your bones. Hmm, let’s see what else… Oh, so as you probably already know, its claws can release some sort of strong poison when it scratches or wounds, so even if the injury doesn’t kill its prey, the poison definitely will. And it will do it slowly and painfully, it will put you through hell for hours or days until you die, if you don’t fight it,” she concluded and exhaled loudly before letting the silence take over the room once again.

 

“Okayyy… That wasn’t scary at all,” Kenzi reacted first, the expression on her face a mixture of shock and disgust.

 

“Oh, and I am not aware if there is any cure for the poison,” Tamsin added, a little amused to see the fear on the small human’s face.

 

“Even better!” Kenzi exclaimed before muttering a curse in Russian to herself.

 

“How does it choose its victims?” the Succubus asked, definitely intrigued.

 

“Wendigos apparently live far away from cities, in the middle of nature and hidden in dark places, such as caves, for instance, or anything resembling one. These beasts are thirsty for flesh and blood, and they will kill anyone they would run into, whether fae or human. Although, I’m pretty much certain I heard the Wendigo has a preference for women.”

 

“Thank you, Tamsin. At least now we finally have something concrete to work on. I’ll see if I can get more information about them,” Trick said kindly, thanking the Valkyrie.

 

“We should go back to the crime scene. I remember there was a cave there, so if we’re lucky, maybe the beast still lives there?” Bo asked innocently.

 

“I don’t think we have any chance of finding it there. If it is indeed a Wendigo, it’s long gone by now, as they tend to move after each kill, as far away as possible from the murder scene,” the blonde explained.

 

“Back to square one then,” the Russian added.

 

“Not necessarily, Kenzi,” Dyson replied. “I can go back to the station and see if I can find any other case with similar circumstances to our own. Based on what you said, Tamsin, the Wendigo must have killed before so given that its signature is pretty unique, there’s gotta be something in the police records. Are you coming with, partner?”

 

Before Tamsin could even open her mouth to reply, Bo stepped up. “No way, Tamsin is coming back to the crackshack to get some rest. Plus, we can continue working the case at home, and try to find possible remote locations out of the city where the Wendigo might live or hunt.”

 

The blonde could have objected but she knew she could actually use some rest. Plus, she found the situation very amusing. “Can someone actually get any rest at your place? You can’t even sleep well for fear that a piece of what you call a ceiling will fall on you and crush you to death,” she interjected mockingly.

 

“Then I suggest you get some advice from Kenzi. She can teach you all about how to sleep in the bathtub, if you don’t want to sleep in my king-size bed. Kenzi doesn’t seem to complain,” Bo smirked and immediately let out a laugh, noticing how Tamsin’s cheeks were getting red at the mention of sharing a bed.

 

“No need to be rude, bestie. I’ll have you know the bathtub is actually pretty comfortable,” the Russian tried to defend herself, not very convincingly.

 

“Yeah, when you’re drunk,” Tamsin laughed with Bo.

 

“Alright, if we are done here, I’ll go take a look at some other books and make a few phone calls to see if any of my good old friends have anything that can help us,” Trick announced and then headed downstairs.

 

The others stayed behind long enough to say their goodbyes and finish their drinks before heading out themselves. Dyson left for the precinct while Bo, Tamsin and Kenzi went back to the crackshack as agreed.

 

The door of the Dal closed behind them, the bar now empty. At least, that was what all of them thought.

 

“I’ll go run some more tests for this case, if anyone cares…” Lauren, left all alone at the bar, whispered to herself.

 

It took only a few minutes for all of her supposed friends and even her girlfriend, or rather ex-girlfriend, to completely forget about her presence there with them. This made the doctor very angry. She felt invisible to everybody now. Nobody seemed to care about her anymore, nobody paid her any attention. It was only a few days ago that Bo was hers again, but not the Succubus seemed glued to the Valkyrie. To someone who had just appeared in their lives recently and without any warning. Moreover, someone whom everybody hated at first and whose life seemed shrouded in mystery.

 

Lauren had no choice but to resign herself to the idea. No choice but to just witness the Succubus’s feelings for the other blonde growing steadily and vice-versa. The human doctor felt utterly and completely powerless, with no way of intervening in this burgeoning relationship -- just a mere spectator. For once.

 

* * *

 

 

As soon as the three girls arrived at the clubhouse, Kenzi ran over to the couch and plopped down dramatically with a loud thud, earning herself a couple of sneers from the two fae.

 

“Are you really going to sleep right now, weirdo? It’s like 4 p.m.,” the Valkyrie pointed out.

 

“Why not? We’ve been awake since like 9 in the morning and all of these serious convos and Wendigo stories and blah blah blah got me exhausted.”

 

“And all this vodka too, Kenz,” Bo laughed aloud.

 

“Whatever, haters. Momma needs some sleep right now, alright?” she shot back, yawning loudly.

 

“If you’re going to nap like a satisfied piglet after a good roll in the mud, like you usually do, please do it upstairs. Some of us have actual work to do here,” the blonde cut her off and ducked quickly to avoid being hit in the face by the pillow Kenzi threw at her.

 

Bo laughed out loud at Tamsin’s rather accurate description of Kenzi’s sleeping habits. The human rolled her eyes but eventually gave up and dragged herself upstairs, obviously too exhausted to argue with the two fae.

 

“I don’t even understand why she sleeps on this damn couch so often considering she has her own bedroom upstairs,” Tamsin exclaimed. “Like with a real bed.”

 

“I’ll let you know when I find out myself,” the brunette replied chuckling. “Alright, time to get to work,” she added in a more serious voice.

 

* * *

 

Hours passed, the two fae hard at work without taking a single break. They were actually studying a detailed map of the entire city and its surroundings, silently enjoying each other’s presence.

 

“I had no idea there were so many Wendigo death traps like forests and fields and shit like that around here,” the blonde grunted while rubbing furiously at her eyes. She could feel her anger bubbling up, harder to keep in check on account of how exhausted he she was and how exhausted she had been for days now.

 

“This town is basically a playground for this fae. I hope Dyson and Trick will have better luck than us finding something useful,” Bo added, turning her head toward the blonde, to discover that the other woman’s facial features were changing, turning gaunt and dark to reveal the Valkyrie’s true face.

 

“Tamsin, are you okay?” she asked worriedly, closing the space between the two of them and laying her hand on her forearm instinctively.

 

“What? Huh… Sorry, I didn’t do it on purpose,” Tamsin sighed as her face began turning back to normal as soon as Bo touched her. She hadn’t even realized what was happening, it was like her true face had just decided to come out without a reason. The rush of anger she had felt earlier had stirred something new inside her, as if her power was bursting to come out, stronger than ever and almost unstoppable. “I’m fine,” she added, as calmly as possible, seeing the worried look on Bo’s face.

 

Feeling slightly uncomfortable after the episode, she cleared her throat before continuing. “If we eliminate all the spots that are too close to the city, and those with a high population density, we’re left with six possible areas where our dear Wendigo could be hiding.”

 

Bo nodded absentmindedly. She was still anxious. She wasn’t afraid of the Valkyrie hurting her with her power but rather concerned to see Tamsin so confused and without control of her transformation. She could tell Tamsin was feeling uneasy about what had just happened so she decided to not broach the subject at all. Not yet, at least.

 

“It’s not that bad. Maybe we should call Dyson and tell him. Maybe he can help us narrow it down further. Plus, Trick might have found some important info on this species that could also be useful,” she said instead.

 

“Maybe if we examine all of these spots, we will find something new, something we missed before, and maybe...” the Valkyrie started frantically.

 

“Tamsin, Tamsin, calm down, will you? It’s already 2 a.m., we won’t get anything done this late. We can continue tomorrow, I think you’ve already done a lot today,” Bo interrupted, trying to get the Valkyrie away from the case files. Oddly, she could feel the blonde’s state of agitation and excitement as if she was the one experiencing these feelings. If she listened closely, she could feel Tamsin’s heart beating in sync with hers, so fast and loud it almost hurt.

 

“Fuck, I didn’t realize it was so late, I totally lost track of the time,” Tamsin exhaled in frustration. “You’re right, I should go,” she added

 

“Go where?” the brunette frowned.

 

“I don’t know. honestly. I don’t wanna be a burden Bo, so please don’t worry about me. I promise I’m fine.”

 

“I know that, and shut up! You know damn well you’re not a burden. Besides, where were you going to sleep huh? In your truck? No way. You know you’re always welcome here. I mean it. This is your home too, Tamsin.”

 

The Valkyrie did not say a word, nor moved an inch but the Succubus could see the corner of her lips twitching into a small smile.

 

“Unless you don’t wanna sleep with me, of course,” Bo smirked. “You’re definitely free to go if that’s the case,” she flirted openly.

 

“No, that’s fine,” Tamsin smiled gently. “It’s perfect actually,” she whispered to herself as she took Bo’s hand and allowed herself to be led up the stairs to the bedroom.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Read, reviews, and kudos are always appreciated. Thank you for reading and for your support!

**Author's Note:**

> So what do you think about it? Please comment and leave kudos if you liked it and let me know if I should continue it or not. If you have a suggestion or anything, let me know!
> 
> Contact me on FFN: RSkarFR or Tumblr: http://rskarfr.tumblr.com
> 
> Thanks for reading. :)


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